


We Met on Sacred Ground

by knpowe9781, wqueen1



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Awkwardness, Banter, Bisexual Female Character, Break Up, Eventual Romance, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Lesbian Character, Nervousness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 14:31:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6858844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knpowe9781/pseuds/knpowe9781, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wqueen1/pseuds/wqueen1





	1. Chapter 1

The vibration from her cell phone is what wakes her. She rifles through the sheets and looks under the pillows until she finally locates her phone, wedged between the wall and the mattress. She answers it without looking at the caller ID. 

“H-H-Hello?” she answers groggily, rubbing her eyes. “Yes, this is Clarke Griffin. Wait, when? What happened? Okay, I-I'm on my way.” Clarke jumps out of bed, throwing a t-shirt on over her black sports bra, not bothering to change out of her workout pants that she often falls asleep wearing. She looks at the clock; 1:30AM. She runs through her apartment, grabbing her purse and keys on the way out the door. The cold night air hits Clarke like a wave as she hurries towards the parking lot of her apartment complex where her black Audi S6 is parked. She jumps in the driver’s seat and drives toward the gallery. 

The phone call has made her frantic. She’s 10 minutes into her drive to the gallery when her mind starts wandering. Who would break into my gallery? Why would they break into my gallery?  she thinks to herself. Clarke’s gallery, The Sacred Ground, just had its grand opening two weeks ago. Thinking back, she couldn’t have been more proud, excited, and downright nervous when she was finally able to open the doors for the first time. For as long as she could remember, art was her passion. Whether her hands were covered in paint after hours behind an easel or they were cramped from drawing sketch after sketch in one of her many sketchbooks, she never felt more like herself than when she was creating. After graduating college, she spent a few years working at shitty waitressing jobs saving up what money she could. She would spend her weekends in local parks or at street fairs selling her art for extra money as well. She was finally able to afford the gallery and at 27, she realized her life was exactly where she wanted it to be.

The blaring horn from the car behind her interrupted her thoughts. She accelerated through the intersection after realizing the light was green. When she pulled up to the gallery 15 minutes later, she was blinded by all the lights from the many police cars parked in front of the building. After parking her car, Clarke gets out and walks toward a group of men huddled around the entrance to her gallery. As she approaches them, her eyes scan the outside of the building, noticing immediately that the front door’s glass panels have been completely shattered. She feels nauseous.  
   
“Excuse me, I’m looking for someone named Kane?” Clarke says, interrupting the men’s conversation once she is within earshot of them.They turn to see the blonde standing just behind them, eyes focused on the building that has been broken into.   
“That’s me, I’m Marcus Kane with the Seattle Police Department. I’m the Lieutenant in charge tonight.” says one of the men standing to Clarke’s right. He extends his hand, shaking hers as she nods a silent hello. “Are you Ms. Griffin?”  
“I am and this is my gallery. Can you please tell me what happened?” Clarke asks impatiently.  
“I’m afraid we don’t have many details just yet.” Lieutenant Kane answers. "We received a call from someone who was driving by, they noticed the front door was smashed and called 911...”  
Clarke interrupts, “All I was told on the phone was that someone broke into my gallery and I needed to get here as quickly as possible to speak to the police. So, here I am, what can I do?”   
“Well, we have our detectives inside now, they’ve been going over the scene, collecting evidence. Before I take you inside, can I ask you a few questions?” the lieutenant asks.  
“Sure yes, go ahead.” Clarke responds, with an annoyed edge to her voice. She is eager to get inside to check the state of her gallery.  
“When were you last here, Ms. Griffin?” Kane asks as he starts to make notes in a black notebook he pulled from his pocket.  
“Um, well, I left around 10:00pm last night, I was here a bit late getting some of the pieces ready to be displayed for a new exhibit I’m having soon.” Clarke watches as he writes down her response.   
Lt. Kane nods, looking up from his notepad, “And were you here alone?”  
“I was, well I sent everyone else home earlier in the evening. I called my boyfriend around 9:30pm to let him know that I was almost done here and locked up around 10:00.” Clarke crosses her arms, shifting her weight from side to side.   
“Ok. I see. Well I think I have all I need for now, I know you’re anxious to get inside. The detectives will probably have more questions for you as well.” the Lieutenant offers his hand again.  
Clarke shakes his hand a second time, “Okay, that’s fine, I’m happy to answer any questions. Can I go inside now?”  
“Of course, please follow me.” Lt. Kane guides Clarke through the maze of police officers that are standing around the parking of her gallery and others  that are huddled just outside the front door. “Be careful of all the broken glass, they are still investigating so we can’t allow any of it to be cleaned up just yet. I’ll give you a minute to look around. I know this is difficult.” Lt. Kane moves through the doorway first, moving off to the side so Clarke can enter into the building. 

Clarke carefully steps around the glass as she follows the lieutenant inside. Once inside, Clarke can’t control the audible gasp that escapes her lips when she sees the damage inside the gallery. She fights back the tears that are welling up inside her. Several of her paintings had been ripped from the walls and are scattered around on the hardwood floor. She notices some of her paintings are missing completely. The security cameras in the corners of the room had been spray painted over and Clarke sees that a few other items have been overturned as well. She continues walking through the gallery and rounds the corner that leads to another room just off of the main gallery floor. She stops in her tracks when her eyes focus on a giant symbol that has been spray painted on the back wall. Clarke stares at the symbol, studies the lines of the intricate design. It’s a large handprint with what looks like flames swirling around the palm. Something about it was familiar. Had she seen it before? Surely she would remember something like that?  she thought to herself. She dismisses the thought for the moment, as she continues to take a lap around the gallery. She spots Lt. Kane standing beside a taller man near the front door so she walks in that direction, wanting to see what they need from her next. 

Walking up to them, Clarke clears her throat, “Lt. Kane, I’m back. Did you say you needed me to-- ” Clarke stutters when the taller man beside the lieutenant turns to introduce himself. Clarke’s eyes immediately fall on a girl standing directly across from her. She had been hidden behind the taller man before he turned around. The girl’s wavy brown hair is pulled back in a low ponytail; she’s wearing a white collared shirt that is tucked into dark jeans, with black boots and a black blazer that fits her perfectly. Clarke notices a badge on the waistband of the girl’s jeans and can see a gun in its holster on her hip. The girl is looking down at her phone, oblivious to the blonde’s presence. 

“Sorry,” Clarke shakes her hand, focusing back on Lt. Kane, “Did you need me to talk to anyone else while I’m here?”  
“Yes,” the lieutenant responds, raising his arm to introduce the two people he had just been talking to, “This is Detective Lincoln James and this is Detective Lexa Woods.”   
Detective James is the first one to offer his hand, “Sorry to have to meet you this way Ms. Griffin, but just know that we are doing everything we can to figure out who is responsible for this.” the taller detective says, giving Clarke a reassuring smile.  
“Thank you,” she says, “I appreciate that.” Clarke releases his hand and turns her attention to the female detective who still has her nose buried in her phone. Just as Clarke extends her hand to introduce herself, the detective’s phone rings and she picks it up immediately, walking away from the group.  
“Woods,” answers the girl, Clarke notices the slight rasp in her voice, “Yes. Alright. How long ago? Thank you.” The detective ends the call but is still looking down at her phone when she returns to the group. “Sorry about that, an electronics store got hit earlier and it seems these two burglaries might be connected.”   
“Detective Woods,” Lt. Kane interrupts, “This is Clarke Griffin, she is the owner of this gallery.”   
Detective Woods looks up from her phone for the first time and sees the blonde standing in front of her. She is immediately lost in the girl’s blue eyes. It takes a few seconds for her to realize she is staring, so she quickly extends her hand, “Hello, I’m Detective Woods, the lead detective on this case, it’s nice to meet you Ms. Griffin.”  
“Likewise, Detective Woods.” Clarke replies with a smile, equally distracted by the detective’s blazing green eyes. The two shake hands as they continue to smile at one another. Clarke breaks the silence and the handshake, “What were you saying about another burglary in town? I couldn’t help but overhear.” she asks.  
“Oh yes, right,“ Detective Woods says, as she blinks to refocus her attention, “That was an officer that called, it seems another business was broken into tonight and they also painted a similar symbol on the wall of that building. I am going to head over there shortly, we need to see if there are any other similarities between the two scenes. Before I go though, do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Ms. Griffin?”  
“Not at all,” Clarke responds, “but do you mind if we go outside to talk? I need to be away from all of this for a minute.” Detective Woods can see that Clarke is upset so she leads her towards the front door and out to the parking lot.   
“Thank you,” Clarke says as they stop walking. “I just needed to get away from that. I’ll be here for days cleaning up this mess.”  
“It’s no trouble, Ms. Griffin,” the detective states, jumping right into the first question, “I’ll make this as brief as possible. I know you spoke to Lt. Kane earlier, but I just want to make sure I understand everything as well. So you left here around 10:00pm last night, is that correct?”  
“Yes, that’s correct”, Clarke answers.  
“And you were here alone?” the detective asks while making notes of her own in a notebook similar to the one Clarke saw the lieutenant carrying earlier.   
“Yes, I was finishing up a few things after I sent the other employees home. I called my boyfriend a little before 10:00 to let him know I was almost finished up and would be leaving soon.” Clarke responds, watching the detective as she writes. She doesn’t miss the detective's slight eyebrow raise at the mention of her boyfriend.  
“Would you mind telling me your boyfriend’s name? Just for our report.” Detective Woods asks as she looks up at Clarke, once again almost losing her focus because of the blue eyes staring back at her.   
“Of course, his name is Finn Collins.“, Clarke says, “I can give you his contact information if you need it?”.  
“Thank you Ms. Griffin, that would be greatly appreciated.” the detective responds. She gets the phone number and address for Clarke’s boyfriend. “One more question, can you think of anyone who might have done this?”  
Clarke takes a moment to think but ultimately comes up blank. “No,” she answers, “I just opened up the gallery two weeks ago, so I honestly have no idea.”. Clarke lets out a sigh, willing herself not to start crying.  
The detective again notices that Clarke is visibly upset. She takes a second to review the notes she’s made so far. Closing her notebook she says, “Well Ms. Griffin, I think those are all the questions I have for now. I will be in contact with you in the next few days after we assess the other crime scene from the burglary across town. Thank you for coming out at such a late hour and answering all of our questions.”, Detective Woods says, extending her hand again towards Clarke.

Shaking the detective’s outstretched hand, Clarke replies, “I hope I was of some help. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help with your investigation.” Clarke glances down at her watch, sees how late it is. “Um Detective, would it be okay if I head back home now? If you’re done with your questions?”.  
Detective Woods smiles, “Of course, I will be in touch as we gather more information. Thank you again.“.   
With that, Detective Woods nods a final goodbye to Clarke, and begins to walk back toward the front door of the gallery. Just before she reaches the door, she turns around to see the blonde still standing in the spot where she left her, looking towards the building; looking utterly defeated.  
Without thinking, the detective walks back towards Clarke and stops just in front of her, “Here Ms. Griffin, this is my personal cell number”, Detective Woods scribbles the information on the back of her business card, "If you think of any new information or think of anyone who may have had something to do with this, please don’t hesitate to call me. Any information is always helpful.”  
“Okay, Detective, thank you.” Clarke responds, taking the card from the brunette.  
“I am sorry this happened to you; to your gallery. You have some really amazing work in there.”, the detective says with honesty.   
Clarke blushes slightly at the compliment, “Thank you, Detective Woods. This place, my art, it's my life. I hope you find whoever did this.”   
“I will,” the detective states confidently, giving Clarke a final smile before walking back a second time towards the entrance to the gallery. 

Clarke takes one final look at her gallery, completely crushed that something like this has happened. She fishes her car keys out of her pocket and makes her way back towards her car. Before she gets in, Clarke catches Detective Woods watching her intently; she can almost see the flash of those green eyes, even from this distance. Clarke gives the detective a wave and hops into the car. Starting the engine, she leaves the gallery parking lot and heads back toward her apartment. Once she arrives back home, she leaves her keys, phone, and the detective’s card on the kitchen counter. She goes back to her room, removes her t-shirt so she is back to only her sports bra and workout pants, and falls back into bed. Her body heavy with exhaustion and frustration. She keeps replaying the events of the evening in her head. The last thing she sees before she drifts off to sleep is a pair of the most gorgeous green eyes she has ever seen.


	2. Chapter 2

Lexa finally returned to her downtown Seattle apartment around 4am after investigating two burglaries in different parts of the city throughout the night. To say she was tired after putting in a twenty hour day would be the understatement of the century. Less than five minutes later, she found herself collapsing onto her leather sofa in the middle of her living room. The apartment was covered in modern decor and the occasional family photos and departmental accolades. She spent countless hours in this apartment surrounded by case files and pizza shared with her sister, Anya, and fellow detective, Lincoln James. Somehow she still felt lonely at times but she would never admit that to anyone. She made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t be hurt again…

Because she had to be up for work in less than three hours, she decided against sleep, figuring it would only be a tease she wasn’t in the mood for. Instead, she grabbed a pillow and sought out the two open case files that lay beside her. Her dedicated demeanor and work ethic is what led to the well-respected position she currently holds. She had devoted herself to her job at the highly regarded Seattle Police Department. Over the course of her career, she had proven herself to be one of the best officers the department has ever employed, becoming the youngest officer promoted to detective after only three years on the force. She was a natural leader and always accepted a challenge.

This case was different though. While reviewing the facts of the cases, her thoughts kept circling back to a pair of blue eyes. Snap out of it, to be successful is to be alone, she thought to herself out of habit. Despite constantly reminding herself that she needs to focus on the facts of the case and not the beautiful blue eyed gallery owner, she fell asleep doing exactly what she told herself not to do…

Lexa jerks awake at the sound of her ringtone. Not remembering where she placed her phone, she pushed through papers and pictures of crime scenes and through the mound of clothes she donned the night before. Finally, she found her phone under the pillow she had fallen asleep on top of. She looked at her phone and realized she had missed a text and not a call. The text was from a number that she didn’t recognize so she wasted no time it unlocking her phone to read it.

Unknown 8:02AM:  
“Detective Woods, this is Clarke Griffin. I hope you don't mind me contacting you but you are the only one that offered me their phone number last night. Do you have any updates or can I help you any more with the investigation?” 

Rarely did Lexa give out her phone number to victims in cases she was actively investigating but something within herself felt compelled to offer it to Clarke. The tingling in her stomach while she read the message was a reminder of why she did. Not knowing how to response, Lexa quickly types out a generic response…

Detective Woods 8:04AM:   
“Good morning, Ms. Griffin, not a problem. I have been reviewing the facts but am at a standstill right now. Will let you know when we have an update Unfortunately in cases like this, it takes as long as it takes.” 

With that, Lexa jumped in her earthly tiled shower and began her morning routine. When she arrived at the office a short time later, she was immediately greeted by Lincoln. 

“What happened to you? You’re looking a little tired. Party all night, boss?” Lincoln asked in a mocking tone, knowing the younger detective outranked him by more than a year but still enjoyed the banter.   
“Funny. Any updates on the The Sacred Ground break in? I woke up to a text from Ms. Griffin wanting to know,” Lexa replied drily.   
“Texting, huh? You met this girl less than 12 hours ago and she is already texting you? Teach me, please,” and that response left Lincoln suffering a hard blow to the shoulder and a clear sign that the subject needed to be dropped. 

Lexa sat down at her desk and pulled out The Sacred Ground file and started reading. Lexa was reading over Clarke’s responses to the routine questions she was asked. She immediately found herself picturing Clarke’s boyfriend, becoming shockingly jealous. Stop it. 

An hour into reviewing the evidence at her desk, Lexa found herself becoming increasingly annoyed with the noise and ongoing conversation between coworkers. She was distracted and getting irritated. Before becoming overly irritated, she decided to drive to Clarke’s gallery to do another walk through to ensure nothing was missed. With that, she jumped into her flashy black Jeep Grand Cherokee and drove the short distance to The Sacred Ground, secretly hoping that she would be welcomed by a familiar pair of blue eyes. 

Shortly after, The Sacred Ground is brought into her field of vision. She is impressed with the location of the gallery. Most beginning artists could never pull off a gallery in such a prestigious downtown location which made Lexa think this wasn’t just a random act. This burglary was motivated, calculated and planned by someone Clarke knows. A fast growing suspicion that she has yet to share with her colleagues nor will she share with Clarke. 

Using the set of keys Clarke provided the department, she walked inside the mess of a gallery. After walking in, she felt overwhelmingly intimidated at the sight of the few paintings that were left hanging on the walls. She had never met an artist with such an eye for detail and that painted with such brilliant use of colors. Lexa knew her artists after spending three years of her life dating one. Costia was Lexa’s first love but wouldn’t be her last love. This was a hard truth that Lexa spent the majority of the last two years accepting. It was only after Anya taught her that “love is weakness,” she changed her life and made this her philosophy. She doesn’t like to remember her life before, when she was light hearted, open to letting people in, happy…

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Lexa focused on her work. She walked around with her notepad in case she saw something that was missed the night before. Ten minutes after arriving, she heard the back door open and close. Not expecting anyone at this time of day, she drew her weapon out of protection, however, she immediately regretted that decision when she heard a coffee mug shatter onto the concrete floor. 

“What are you doing here, Detective? Clearly, I wasn't expecting to say good morning to the barrel of a Glock,” Clarke said sarcastically as she hurriedly swept up the mess in front of her. 

“I am so sorry, I didn’t expect anyone to be here. Please let me help you,” Lexa embarrassingly replied while rushing over to help Clarke clean up the mess. Their shoulders brushed and Lexa felt her temperature rise and hoped Clarke couldn’t see the red in her cheeks. But what Lexa saw surprised. Clarke displayed the same reddening in her own cheeks. 

“Its ok, Detective. I appreciate you being on such high alert. It actually makes me feel safer being here with you,” Clarke confidently stated, not realizing the entirety of what she said until moments later.   
“You’ll be safe under my protection, I assure you, Ms. Griffin,” Lexa replied cooly. Wait, did I just flirt with her? Crap. 

Thirty minutes into walking around the gallery and not finding anything more than what was found the night before, Lexa decided to head back into the station and call in the potential witnesses for questioning. She went to the back of the gallery to find the office. Clarke had excused herself, explaining that she was going to review her inventory while Lexa looked for signs that led to a suspect or suspects. Walking in, Lexa observed Clarke half asleep with her chin in her hand. Lexa had an idea, one in which Lt. Kane probably wouldn’t regard as a good idea. Clearing her throat, she tries to wake Clarke.

“You look like you need some coffee and since I am the reason you lost yours, I feel its my duty to replace it. Go with me to The Ark,? Lexa asked almost in a confident whisper.   
“I appreciate that, Detective,” answered Clarke said while grabbing her bag and standing.   
“Please, call me, Lexa.”  
Okay, Lexa but then I have to insist that you call me, Clarke,” Clarke obliged while a growing smirk appeared on her face. She led the way out of the office.   
“Okay, Clarke,” Lexa dutifully replied. Clarke liked the way it so smoothly rolled off the tongue of the Detective. 

The two walked shoulder to shoulder into the main room. Abruptly, Clarke stopped in the middle of the main room. Lexa watched Clarke take in the devastation she was left with the night before with a staggering breathe and watering eyes. Taking a look back into the gallery herself, Lexa was determined to find who did this and she wouldn’t stop until she found him. She offered Clarke a quick supportive smile and opened the door to the street outside. With that, the two left The Sacred Ground and headed to The Ark. 

The two ordered their respective coffees and headed to the secluded area of the coffee shop. Lexa sat down nervously not knowing why she actually invited Clarke to join her for coffee but not regretting it for a moment either. Lexa watched Clarke sit down at the small table like she had been doing it her whole life. Clarke was dressed in a dark pair of skinny jeans and oversized AC/DC t-shirt. Lexa thought she looked more beautiful than any model she had ever seen. Realizing that she was probably drooling by now, Lexa cleared her throat and sat up straight. 

“So… how long have you been painting?” Lexa attempted at conversation.   
“All my life, but only recently did it become a paying profession. What about you? When did you join the force? Clarke eyed Lexa with genuine curiosity.   
“It seems like a lifetime but only a few years. I worked my way through the ranks pretty quickly. I was the youngest officer promoted to detective,” Lexa shyly explained, avoiding the blue eyes she could feel staring.   
“Thats amazing. Then I shouldn’t have any doubt you’ll find who did this?” Clarke shifted the conversation after she observed Lexa watching the coffee shop behind her shoulder. 

Lexa was listening to Clarke but what caught her attention was the man ordering a coffee at the counter. He was arrogant even when order a plain coffee but what Lexa was paying attention to was the tattoo on his wrist. It was small but Lexa thought she recognized the symbol. Lexa was staring. She noticed the wrist becoming larger and more in focus. This because the man was making his way over to her table.

“Clarke! What are you doing here? I thought you said you were going to be at the gallery? And who is this?” asked the scraggly haired man who Clarke obviously knew.   
“Finn! Hey!” Clarke said while rising and offering the man a hug. 

The boyfriend. Lexa thought and felt a ping of jealousy. 

“Finn, this is Detective Woods. She is working on my case. Detective Woods, this is my boyfriend, Finn Collins. He works around the corner,” Clarke nervously explained. Lexa noticed that Clarke was barely standing next to the man and didn’t dare make eye contact with him. 

Lexa awkwardly shook the outstretched hand Finn offered but what caught her eye again was the tattoo. Now in focus, she recognized it. It was a unique tattoo, one with meaning. Abruptly, Lexa stood up and gathered her things. Finally, she realized where she had seen the tattoo before and needed to get back to the office to confirm her growing suspicion. 

“I’m sorry but I just realized I have a million things to do at the office so I should be going, I’ll let you know when we have new information,” Lexa almost shouted as she raced through the coffee shop trying to get to the door as quick as she possibly could. 

“O-Okay, Detective. Talk to you later!!” Clarke tried to yell and she watched the beautiful long brown hair flow behind the Detective. Clarke stared at the brunette while she left. She was beautiful even in what must be her standard professional attire. A black, tight fitting blazer and a light blue button up underneath and jeans along with her badge and gun. Clarke noted that the shirt made her usual green eyes seem a lighter shade of green, almost blue. Clarke could get lost in them if she let herself. But she didn’t. Not yet.


	3. Chapter 3

Lexa finishes her third cup of coffee. She’s been watching the same two surveillance tapes for hours, trying to prove a hunch she’s recently developed.   
“Hey Boss, find what you were looking for on those tapes?” Lincoln startles her as he knocks and then leans against the doorframe of her office. She hadn’t heard him approaching but welcomes the interruption. She needs a break.  
“Not yet, but I’m close. I can feel it.” She gets up from her desk to stretch her legs and notices, seemingly for the first time, the state of her office. Her jacket is thrown over a chair that sits across from her glass desk. Empty coffee cups are piled high in the trashcan. She scans over her desk, it’s littered with paperwork. Case notes are spread out from left to right, her black notebook is on top of her laptop’s keyboard, opened to her interview notes when she met with Clarke at the gallery, and she has somehow managed to allow her work to overflow onto the office floor. Tough cases do this to her. Her usual orderliness goes out the window as a result of diving head first into her cases. This "organized chaos”, as she sometimes likes to call it, is what helps her solves cases. She has no doubts she will solve this one as well.  
“Well let me know what I can do to help. I have another interview set up with the owner of the electronics store if you want to join. I’m meeting him later this afternoon.” Lincoln replies, as he turns to leave the office.   
“Thanks, I may take you up on that. Check back with me before you head out.” Lexa says as she walks back around to sit in her desk chair. Lincoln waves a goodbye as Lexa gets out the crime scene photos taken at Clarke’s gallery and at the electronics store, “Terabyte Me”, that had been broken into shortly after Clarke’s gallery had been hit. She shuffles through the stack of photos until she finds the two she is looking for. She pulls those from the stack and lays them side by side. They are identical, that much she can tell. They are both pictures of a symbol that was painted at both locations. She sees the large handprint with a swirled center spray painted on the wall at the gallery. She sees the same symbol spray painted on the wall behind the cash register at “Terabyte Me”. The symbol is the key, she thinks to herself. She still hadn’t voiced her hunch to anyone. She wanted proof first.   
With the two photos still side by side, she thinks back to a few hours before when she was in the coffee shop with Clarke. She remembered they had been talking, just a casual conversation about their careers. She remembered how beautiful Clarke had looked wearing that oversized t-shirt. She remembered how the blonde’s blue eyes sparkled when she smiled when asked about her art. Lexa liked that sparkle. She let herself stay lost in the memory, a tiny smile comes across her lips, before shaking her head to focus. While they had been talking, Lexa’s attention had been pulled away as she watched a man order his coffee. The flash of the tattoo had happened quickly. She kept watching him hoping to get another glimpse of the wrist tattoo, when he started approaching their table. The boyfriend. Even in her memory, she didn’t like him. Introductions happened. She remembered that her head was telling her to be suspicious, her gut was telling her to be aware, her heart was telling her to stop being jealous of this stranger. Then it happened; during their handshake, she saw what she had been waiting for.  
After rushing out of the coffee shop, she drove straight to the precinct and pulled up the two surveillance tapes. That leads us back to now. Lexa rubs her eyes and decides to try the videos one more time. She presses play on the first video, it’s footage from “The Sacred Ground”. She sees the three suspects, presumably male based on their height and build, enter through the shattered front door of Clarke’s gallery. She watches as they huddle for a moment, discussing their plan if she had to guess, and then they separate. As one of the men approach the security camera, she sits up in her chair, staring intently at the computer screen. Just as the man raises his right arm with a spray paint can in hand, she pauses the video. Her eyes light up! She quickly moves to the second video that she has loaded on another laptop. She repeats the process, watches the three suspects break down the front door at “Terabyte Me”, sees them huddle for a moment and focuses on the man that approaches the security camera. She pauses this video as well just as the man’s right arm is outstretched, holding the spray paint can. She grabs the photos on her desk and lays them in front of both computers. She leans back in her chair, looking at all four pieces of evidence. There it is, she thinks to herself, There’s my proof.

\--------------------

“Jesus, Griffin! Would you chill? You’re going to shake the whole place down if you keep that up!” The yell came from across the room and it was enough to snap Clarke out of her daze. She didn’t even realize she was doing it; the fidgeting had become more and more common since the break in.   
“Sorry Raven,” Clarke answers back, “I just can’t sit still. I need to be doing something!” Clarke stands up from the couch and starts pacing around the living room. Since the break in, Clarke hasn’t spent much time alone. Today, like many days before, she is spending the day with her friends Raven Reyes and Octavia Blake. They share an apartment a few blocks away from Clarke’s place.  
“I know, I know, but what can you do?” Raven asked, “It’s been a week since the break in and you’ve had the front door replaced, you painted over that terrible graffiti, and you’ve got some of your best work on display right now. Honestly, the place looks better than ever!”  
Still pacing the floor, Clarke looks over at Raven who is currently flipping through the channels on the television, “Yeah, I know, but at least all that kept me busy. Now I’m feeling useless. Surely there’s something I can do to help with the investigation.”  
“What’s the latest from the police? Have you heard anything new since that Detective showed up at the gallery?” Raven asked without looking away from the television; she had decided on an episode of How It’s Made.   
“No I haven’t, and that’s the frustrating part. Lexa told me-“ Clarke begins.  
“Wait, who is Lexa?” Raven interrupts, no longer watching television, she is watching Clarke as she paces.  
“Sorry, I meant Detective Woods”, Clarke says, not realizing she had called the Detective by her first name.  
“Since when do you call her ‘Lexa’ and for the love of God will you sit down?! You’re going to burn a hole in my floor with all that pacing!”  
Clarke takes a seat back on the couch and lets out a heavy sigh. “Sorry. I told you I can’t sit still.”  
“Don’t change the subject, Clarke. Since when do you call the Detective ‘Lexa’?” Raven asked again.  
“Since she told me to.” Clarke answers innocently, "When she came by the gallery the other day, we startled each other, she had her gun drawn and I dropped my coffee. Anyway, she asked if she could replace my coffee so we went down to The Ark and talked a bit. Then Finn showed up and she ran out of there shortly after, some breakthrough on the case I think.”   
“So first she comes by your gallery basically to check on you, she tells you to call her by her first name, then she takes you for coffee? Am I missing something? Is there anything you want to tell me?” Raven asks jokingly, one eyebrow raised.  
“HA HA very funny. Relax, she was just being nice.” Clarke blushes slightly. She hadn’t thought anything else about it really, but now that Raven said it out loud, maybe those were strange things for the Detective in charge of her case to do?  
“Mhmm, sure. Keep telling yourself that, Griffin. You never have been good at knowing when people are flirting with you.” Raven laughs as she dodges the pillow that Clarke launches in her direction. She shakes her head as she notices Clarke’s cheeks go pink. “Okay, okay, I’m done. But speaking of, how are things in that department? How’s Finn?”  
“Finn’s Finn.” is all Clarke can think to say.  
“A few more words would go a long way here.”  
“I don’t know, he’s been sort of distant lately. I mean, things were fine before all this stuff with the gallery happened, but now it’s like he’s either always at work or out with his friends. It’s not like I need him to be with me 24/7, but it would be nice to not have to go through this alone.” Clarke answers, hating how needy she sounds.   
“Well you guys have only been together for what, like 9 months? Maybe he just doesn’t like you a lot yet. You are pretty tough to like, what with the stubbornness and bad attitude in the mornings.” Raven is too busy laughing at herself to notice that Clarke has thrown another pillow at her. It hits her square in the face.  
“Why are we friends again?” Clarke asks with a grin, “Is Octavia coming home soon? I always did like her better.”  
“Whatever Clarke, you love me!” Raven laughs again. “But in all seriousness, just talk to him. I’m sure he will understand how you’re feeling. He should be there for you.”  
Clarke doesn’t respond, just simply nods and looks out the window. It’s another rainy day in Seattle. What else is new? 

Clarke left Raven’s place shortly after. She was driving back to her apartment when her phone rang. Checking the caller ID as it scrolled across her radio display, she sees it’s Finn calling.  
“Hey you. Where are you?” she answers, hitting a button on the steering wheel to answer the call.  
“Hey. I’m just leaving work, I got a call from that detective, she wants to talk to me about something. I have to meet her at the police station.” Finn says without even trying to hide the annoyance in his voice.  
“Oh really? Did she say what is was about?”  
“No, just that I need to meet her there”  
“Okay, well do you have plans after? I thought you might want to come over tonight? I figured I could cook us up something?” she asks as she pulls into her apartment complex.  
“Yeah sure, sounds good. I’ll call you when I get done talking to her. Bye.”  
“Bye babe” Clarke replies but realizes Finn has already ended the call. She gets out of her Audi and makes her way into her apartment.   
Clarke throws her purse on the kitchen counter after she closes the apartment door behind her. She kicks off her shoes by the door and makes her way towards the sofa in the living room. Pictures of Clarke with Raven and Octavia are on each end table. A picture of Clarke and her mom, Abby, is framed and displayed on the black entertainment center opposite the sofa. Since it’s the only medium she doesn’t use, Clarke has fallen in love with photography. Her walls are covered with beautiful black and white photographs of Seattle, this city that she calls home. One photograph of the Seattle Great Wheel has been framed and hung up on the wall to the left of her entertainment center. It’s her favorite photograph if she’s being honest. She has a thing for ferris wheels. A second photograph of the city skyline hangs to the right of the entertainment center. She is staring at those photographs when her mind begins to wander. She wonders what Lexa could want with Finn? She did rush out of the coffee shop after she met him but that was the extent of their interaction as far as she knew. She wondered if Lexa and the other detectives had made any progress on the case. She wondered if Lexa would contact her after she talked with Finn. Lexa, she thought, as she closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about their coffee outing. She was asleep before her memories started to replay.  
Clarke wakes up about three hours later. She stands up from the sofa and walks over to her purse on the kitchen counter and fishes out her phone. It’s 4:00 pm, she doesn’t have any missed calls or texts from Finn so she lays her phone down on the counter and goes to the refrigerator to see what options she has for their dinner. After giving the empty fridge a once a over, she decides to run down to a local deli and pick up something for the two of them. The deli is close by and it’s an unusually dry night after the rain earlier in the day, so she decides to walk, figuring she can kill some time while she waits to hear from Finn. She grabs her headphones out of her purse, along with her wallet and keys and takes off. She’s walked about halfway to the deli and is about to belt out the chorus to “Toxic” when the music is interrupted by her ringtone. She hits the button on her headphones to answer the call without taking her phone out of her pocket.  
“it’s about time you called, I’m just headed to the deli to- “ Clarke begins.  
“Hello? Is this Ms. Griffin?” she stops in her tracks when hears the voice. She quickly gets her phone out of her pocket and sees that is it in fact Lexa that has called her, not Finn. Blushing, she offers up an apology.  
“Oh my gosh, Detective Woods, I’m so sorry, I thought you were my boyfriend calling.” she stammers.  
“It’s quite alright,” Lexa chuckles on the other end of the line, “I’m sorry to be calling you so late in the afternoon. And please, I thought we established you can call me Lexa.” Clarke grins at the words.   
“Sorry, okay, Lexa it is. So, has something happened? Have you caught the asshole that broke into my gallery yet?” Clarke asks, hopeful.  
“That is actually why I called, Ms. Griffin. Are you free tomorrow morning? There is something I need to discuss with you and it’s better if we have the meeting in person.”  
“Of course. I am free in the morning, I was planning on going back over to my gallery anyway, would you like to meet me there?” Clarke asks.  
“That sounds fine. I will meet you there at 9:00am. Have a good evening, Ms. Griffin.” Lexa replies cooly.   
“See you then, Lexa. Oh! And it’s Clarke. 'Ms. Griffin’ makes me feel ancient.” Clarke responds with a smile, grateful that Lexa can’t see it.  
“Okay Clarke, see you tomorrow.” Lexa ends the call with that and Clarke is left with a chill down her arms at the way her name rolls off of Lexa’s tongue.   
Within five minutes of her call with Lexa, Clarke’s phone chimes to alert her to a text.

Finn 4:23pm:   
“Sorry, something came up. Have to cancel on dinner. I’ll call you later.”  
Clarke 4:24pm:   
“Is everything okay? How did the talk go at the police department?”

Clarke waits another 10 minutes but never gets a response back. Putting her phone back in her pocket, she continues her walk to the deli to get herself dinner for 1. Once she is back at her apartment, she sits on the sofa to enjoy the sandwich she ordered and watches an unknown movie on the television, mostly just for the noise. The night passes quietly and Clarke is in bed several hours later. She’s trying not to be concerned that she never heard back from Finn, reminding herself that he does this sometimes. He is probably over at a friend’s house or just got busy and forgot to text her back. Clarke drifts off to sleep without giving it another thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Lexa sits in her obviously disorganized office as she waits for the call that Finn has arrived in their interrogation room. Long gone is the comfort she found in Clarke’s voice when she called and informed her that she needed to speak with her in person. Since the realization that Finn was behind the break ins, she took it upon herself to inform Clarke of his involvement in person, on her turf, as it was very sensitive information that she had to relay to the beautiful blonde. Beautiful blonde. A nickname she was becoming used to, despite the voice in her that constantly told her not to. 

Lexa found herself staring at her office door. She was anxious and needed to get this finished and behind her. Interrogations were one of her favorite aspects of the job. Second behind ensuring the safety of the public she was sworn to protect. This interrogation she would is one she would find even more enjoyable. This case was starting to feel personal. It was rare that Lexa allowed cases to become personal and there was only one explanation for this case: Clarke. 

Lincoln suddenly appeared in her doorframe. “He’s here, boss. Would you like company?” 

Standing up and gathering her jacket and the case file, Lexa calmly replied, “sure, this needs to go by the book. I don’t want this guy leaving without a fight.” She looked over and Lincoln gave her a smirk. This will be fun. 

Lexa and Lincoln entered the generic interrogation room a short time later. The Detectives were separated from Finn by only a metal table. Finn was dressed in a collared shirt and khaki slack pants. The Detectives noted his attempt to appear professional. An attempt that failed once the Detectives also noted the missing button on his shirt and rip in the pocket of his slacks, yet, he still appeared cocky and as if he was owed entitlement. Lexa bows to no one and she wasn’t going to start now. He drank from his white styrofoam cup, his eyes never leaving Lexa.   
Sitting down, Lexa pulled pictures from the case file. Pictures of the symbol painted on Terabyte Me and The Sacred Ground were arranged on the table in precise order. Lincoln took notice of Finn’s obvious fidgeting. 

“Something bothering you, Mr. Collins?” Lincoln decided to dive in and see if he can catch the suspect off guard.   
“Yes, actually. I don’t appreciate being treated like I am a piece of garbage. I don’t appreciate fingers being pointed as if I’m a suspect in my girlfriend’s break in,” Finn replied with a harshness in his voice that phased neither of the Detectives.   
“You are a suspect,” Lexa replied with a confidence that was unmatched. Waiting a beat, Lexa continued making her case, “and quite frankly, the lead and only suspect. Tell me, Mr. Collins. Wouldn’t it have been smarter to tattoo your trademark symbol on an area of your body that is not so obvious?”   
“Excuse me? What does my tattoo have do to with anything?” Finn dramatically replied, attempting to display offense.   
“Everything, Mr. Collins. Do you mind telling me EXACTLY where you were the night of the break ins? I need specifics. Where you were, how long you were there, who you were with, who you may have talked to. Dare I say, I need to know the intimate details of your nights,” Lexa explained with a disdain in her voice that Lincoln had never heard. He looked at her questioningly but Lexa dismissed him.  
“It’s impossible for me to remember all the details you are requesting, Detective. I will call my lawyer and have him get into contact with you. However, I do have a question for you. Is it standard procedure for a detective to treat her victims with coffee during investigations or is that something only you do?” Finn asked daringly.   
Lexa stood up and gave Finn the most fake of smiles and replied, “Mr. Collins, I would be careful how you phrase your questions. Some police departments consider officers their blood. And blood must have blood, which just so happens to be written in our policy, though in fancier terms, I’m sure. So please, don’t waste your time in claiming a threat was made against you. I look forward to speaking with your attorney.” Handing Finn her contact information, Lexa wastes no time in exiting the interrogation room with Lincoln on her heels.

“What the hell was that, Lexa? Did he get to you?” Lincoln pried but Lexa continued her determined walk into her office and slammed the door, effectively putting an end to the conversation. She did not wish to have her authority questioned this late in the day. 

Like it was habit, Lexa reached for her cell phone and sent Clarke a text. 

Lexa 6:54pm  
“Clarke, I’m sorry to bother you so late but it is important that you come down to the station as quickly as you can”

Clarke 7:15PM  
“I’ll be there in 30 minutes, Lexa.”

 

———————————————————————————————————————————

Waking up to a text from Lexa was the last thing Clarke was expecting, not that she was expecting much at this point in the evening. She hurriedly and begrudgingly got out of bed and worked to put on her mess clothes as she called them. Her outfit consisted of a t-shirt and tight fitting workout pants. This will suffice, she thought. Though before exiting her bedroom, she sprayed her coveted perfume and wrapped a scarf around her neck, deciding she should at east try to look decent. She thought about Lexa and how she always looked perfect. She made her way to the bathroom to tame her blonde locks she assumed was a disaster at this point. Its at that moment she realized that she was trying to look good. Shaking her head, she made her way into the living room of her apartment, thankful her friends weren’t there to give her shit about her outfit choice. 

Clarke hopped into her Audi and drove the short distance to the police department. She spotted Lexa looking flawless standing outside of the police department, presumedly waiting to escort her in. Because of course she is, Clarke thought to herself. She caught eyes with Lexa and the two held their stare until Clarke exited her car and walked over to where she was waiting. 

Skipping pleasantries, “Why the sudden urgency? Did something else happen, is my gallery okay?” Clarke asked with confusion and what appeared to be the start of endless ramble.   
“There’s been a new development, a sensitive one that must be discussed,” Lexa replied, refusing to look up into the beautiful pair of blue eyes that would probably lose their shine after she informed Clarke of the development in her case. 

Clarke noticed Lexa’s changed demeanor and started nervously fidgeting before being escorted into the interrogation room. Despite Clarke being the person called in, she held the door open and reached out her hand to encourage Lexa inside before her. Lexa politely obliged and made her way into the middle of the room. Lexa didn’t want to interview Clarke in the typical impersonal interrogation room but she couldn’t let her authority be questioned for preferential treatment even if Clarke was the victim. Because of this, she had asked Lincoln to schedule the interrogation room directly after the interview with Finn. She decided to conduct the interview alone knowing that Clarke seemed to trust her far more than any of the other detectives working on her case but would have the camera rolling just in case. 

Lexa barely had time to sit down before Clarke started interrogating her. “So whats going on? Why the sudden urgency?”

“Its your case. We have a suspect. Ms. Griffin, before I tell you everything, I think you should probably prepare yourself,” Lexa warned, unsure of why she was treating this as if it were a murder and Clarke like she was a family member of the deceased. 

As if she were reading Lexa’s mind, Clarke cut her off, “Don’t baby me, Lexa. Just say what needs to be said,” she fired back, speaking as if the two were much closer in their seemingly “professional” relationship.

“As you know, Finn has a very distinctive tattoo, identical to the symbol that was spray painted in your gallery and Terabyte Me. He was also less than cooperative today during his interrogation. He refused to answer any questions without his lawyer. Is there anything that we should know?” Lexa inquired, noticing the blonde didn’t seem too affected by the news. She’s just in shock. But then Clarke looked up with a fire in her eyes that Lexa had never seen before. 

 

“What are you getting at? Are you trying to pin this on Finn? The guy I’ve been dating for several months, that I would trust with my life. Please,” Clarke answered dryly but looking Lexa directly in the eye, showing she would not be intimidated. With that Clarke dropped her head, and started distancing herself. 

“Clarke.” Lexa demanded the blonde’s attention. In a moment of vulnerability, Clarke once again allowed herself to love the way her name rolled off the brunette’s tongue. She looked up and noticed that Lexa had positioned herself closer to where Clarke was sitting. She watched as she placed her hand on her forearm. She felt as if she were suffocating from the touch and proximity of such a beautiful woman. But then she realized the real reason she felt suffocated, Finn might actually be behind this, making Clarke appear to be a fool. Clarke looked up with a hurt look on her face and unshed tears. 

“Are you done? Is this done? Because I need the accusations to be done,” Clarke nearly yelled as she stood from the metal chair aiming to exit the room before getting a reply from Lexa.   
“If you feel there is nothing that we could benefit from, then yes, Clarke. We are done,” Lexa countered just as harshly and she watched the woman leave. 

It took everything Lexa had not to get up and chase after Clarke to apologize for everything negative happening in her life. But Lexa knew what her responsibilities were so she exited the interrogation room and went to her office. She geared up to execute the search warrant as she knew Lincoln and several other detectives were waiting for her to conclude the interview with Clarke. She hurriedly left her office and made her way to the back of the police department to meet them and plan how the search warrant would be handled. 

 

As Lexa walks up to the group of detectives and officers huddled around the back door of the police department, she inhales deeply, preparing for what is about to be done. They are all dressed in their black tactical gear that is standard when they have to go out and execute these search warrants. Lexa finishes checking her gun and makes sure her bulletproof vest is snug against her body.   
She gets everyone’s attention, “Alright guys, listen up. We know the suspect’s address, we’ve scoped out the exterior, we know what to prepare for. We’ve done this many times before. We are prepared for any surprises. Once we get there, two of you will take the lead up to the front door. I’ll announce our presence and then we will go from there depending on the response we get. Got it?”  
“Yes ma'am” they all respond in unison, without a hint of condescension.   
“Ok, then let’s move.” Lexa answers back. 

Lexa and Lincoln get into one of the department’s black Chevy Tahoes with two other detectives and lead the way to their destination. The other officers follow behind in their patrol cars. Once they arrive at the listed address, they park their cars about 50 yards away, down the street. Without thinking, they move into a formation; two officers in front of Lexa, Lincoln and the other detectives close behind her and two officers following behind them . As they approach the front door, they each draw their weapon, moving in sync with one another. The officer in front bangs on the wooden front door as loudly as possible.   
“SEATTLE POLICE! OPEN UP!” Lexa shouts assertively.  
No answer.   
“SEATTLE POLICE! WE ARE COMING IN!” She shouts a second time.   
No answer.  
“Take it down” she commands to the officer holding the battering ram.   
A second later, they are rushing through the doorway. Once the officers have cleared the entrance way, Lexa takes off toward the back of the house. As she makes her way into the kitchen, she sees a bowl of pasta still sitting on the kitchen table. There are pots on the stove and an opened bottle of beer on the counter. Someone's here. She still has her gun drawn as she makes her way back to the staircase she passed on her way to the kitchen. She looks up the stairs before proceeding, making sure it’s safe to continue. She takes the steps two at a time and checks the hallway when she reaches the landing. All clear. She walks to the first closed door she comes to. She puts her ear to the door but hears nothing. Taking a step back, she kicks the door open with a force that is somewhat unexpected from someone with such a tiny frame. She sees that she has found the bathroom. She checks behind the shower curtain but finds no one. She continues down the hallway to another closed door on the opposite side of the hall. Again, she presses her ear to the door and thinks she hears a shuffling inside. Wasting no time, she again kicks the door in and rushes into the room.

“STOP!” She yells at the man who is frantically trying to climb out of the second story window. “HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM! DETECTIVE JAMES, UP HERE!” She shouts for backup.  
The man makes a final quick attempt to get through the window once more but is stopped when a pair of large hands grab him by the shoulders and pull him back into the bedroom.  
“Didn’t you hear her? She told you to stop!” Lincoln said angrily to the man “I wouldn’t test her if I were you."  
“Get your hands off me! You have no right to be here! This is private property!” the man yells angrily. Lincoln turns him around to face Lexa and he finally notices the woman who had been yelling at him, his eyes narrowing at the realization of who she is.   
“You.” he snarls, “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”  
“Mr. Collins, we have a signed search warrant that allows us to search the premises and a signed arrest warrant that gives me the right to do this.”  
She walks up to Finn, grabs his wrists tightly and slaps on the handcuffs. “Finn Collins, you’re under arrest for the burglary of The Sacred Ground and Terabyte Me. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”  
“Kiss my ass, bitch” Finn snaps.   
“Good enough for me. Lincoln, please escort this piece of shit outside and into a patrol car.”  
“Happy to, Boss.” he answers as he leads Finn out into the hallway and down the stairs. 

Lexa takes a deep breath, happy that the hard part is over. She looks around the messy room and begins her search. After checking all through the room, she locates 2 of Clarke’s paintings that had been hidden in the closest underneath a pile of clothes and one BluRay player that the electronics store had reported stolen. After bagging all the evidence she’d found, she heads downstairs to see if anything else has been located. When she meets Lincoln by the front door, he runs through the list of stolen items that were found downstairs; that included a television, a drone and an iPad. After securing the house, Lexa and Lincoln walk back to the Tahoe, feeling good that they’d arrested the bad guy and recovered some of the stolen merchandise.


	5. Chapter 5

“Clarke. Earth to Clarke. Hellooo. Are you still with us?” Octavia alternates snapping her fingers and waving her hands in front of Clarke’s face trying to get her attention.   
“Huh? What? Yeah. Sorry, O. What’s up?” Clarke says, only half paying attention to the girl sitting beside her on the couch.   
“Just making sure you’re okay dude, you were spacing out again. You’re missing the best parts of the movie!” Octavia says, trying to gauge Clarke’s mood.  
It’s been three weeks since Clarke stormed out of the interrogation room, leaving Lexa without so much as a goodbye. Clarke had been furious. She couldn’t believe the words she had heard, she couldn’t believe that someone as close to her as Finn could be responsible for such a terrible thing, and at her expense. Yeah, she had been furious to say the least. 

After leaving the police department, Clarke drove straight home. She slung her bag onto the sofa, ripped the scarf from around her neck, slinging it on the floor, and paced around her apartment, not able to stop shaking. She didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know who to call, she was just there, by herself; fuming. She eventually stopped pacing and wandered into her bedroom, her eyes landing immediately on a framed picture of her and Finn that was sitting on her nightstand. She walked over and picked it up, rubbing her index finger over the photo. She didn’t realize she was crying until the teardrop landed on the glass of picture frame. Clarke sat the picture back down and wiped her eyes. She decided what she needed to do was stay busy until she could figure out exactly what was going on. She knew she should have stayed, she should have heard Lexa out, but she just couldn’t. She couldn’t bear to hear the truth. Now that she was back at her apartment with a thousand questions and no one to answer them, she regretted that decision. So Clarke did what Clarke does. She grabbed a spare canvas that she had lying around and set it up on the easel that stood in the corner of her bedroom. After getting her paints prepared, she sat there for a long time just staring at the canvas and paints. She picked up a brush and didn’t put it down until several hours later. When she finally stood up, her body was stiff so she began stretching her arms, legs, neck and back. She looked at the canvas that had transformed into a whirlwind of colors. The blues and greens and reds all melded together and you couldn’t tell where the brushstrokes ended between the colors. It was very different from what she normally painted; it was angry. She left the canvas sitting there and headed into the bathroom to shower.

“Yeah, I’m good. Sorry, just was thinking about things.” Clarke answered Octavia, actually looking at her friend this time. The two were hanging out at Octavia and Raven’s apartment. Raven was working, so Clarke and Octavia were having a movie day.   
“Anything I can help with?” Octavia asked.   
“No, it’s okay. Sometimes it just hits me what all has happened. It’s like a bad dream, you know? I mean Finn’s in prison. PRISON, O! How could this have happened? How could I have been so blind as to miss the fact that the guy I was dating was a criminal!” Clarke could tell she was about to cry so she bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop the tears.  
“I know Clarke. It all sucks. But this isn’t your fault! Finn is the bad guy here, don’t forget that. He’s getting what he deserves for what he did and you’re free from him. Your gallery has been repaired, business is great and you’re single! All you have to think about now is Clarke, forget all the other stuff.” Octavia rubs Clarke’s shoulder reassuringly.  
“You’re right, I know. Things are great now! I’m not arguing that, I just get hit with the realization of it all sometimes. Sorry to suck the fun out of movie day.” Clarke throws a frown in Octavia’s direction.  
“You didn’t ruin movie day, Clarke. We can both probably quote Bridesmaids at this point anyway. It’s almost time for Raven to be home so let’s figure out what our plans are tonight. You up for pizza and beer?"  
“You know what, that’s exactly what I need!” Clarke nods.    
Once Raven gets home about an hour later, the three girls take off for girl’s night. 

Clarke had gotten into the habit of stopping by The Ark every morning before she went to the gallery, needing her morning coffee to start the day. This particular morning, she was running late. She slept through her alarm and scrambled around her apartment, throwing on what clothes she could find. One of the perks of owning your gallery is that you can dictate the dress code. She decided on a tight fitting pair of black jeans, a white V-neck t-shirt, and her black Chuck Taylors. After glancing out the window, she grabbed a black blazer as well. When she finally got to The Ark, it was packed. Of course, she thought. She walked through the door and fell in line behind 4 other people who were also waiting to place their order. She sent a quick text to one of her employees to let them know she would be a little late and then checked Instagram, checking up on what she’d missed from the night before. She put her phone away as the line started to move forward. She glanced around the small coffee shop, watching people enjoy their mornings. Her eyes were drawn to a brunette who was over by the sweetening station. Something about that hair was familiar, Clarke thought. Just as the girl was about to turn around so Clarke can get a good look, the line moved forward and Clarke was forced to tear her eyes away and place her order with the barista. After Clarke ordered, she moved to the side of the counter to wait for her coffee as she looked again for the girl she had seen a minute before. The light tap on her shoulder made her jump. Clarke whirled around and was met with a familiar pair of green eyes.   
“Ms. Griffin. Hi! I thought that was you. How are you?” Lexa asks as she stands a few feet away from Clarke.   
“Detective Woods. Hey. I’m doing well, how are you? I didn’t realize you came here?” Clarke answered politely.   
“I’m good. Thank you for asking. Yes, I can’t stay away from this place, their blueberry muffins are my weakness. So, how are things with the gallery?” Lexa attempts to continue the conversation. She can tell that Clarke is a little uneasy with their sudden run in.  
“The gallery is good, great even. It’s better than ever actually.” Clarke says, fidgeting with one of the buttons on her jacket.   
“I’m sorry...” Lexa starts..  
“Look, can I…” Clarke stammers..   
Both girls begin talking at the same time. They each let out a small laugh, with Clarke speaking up first, “Sorry, you go first, Detective.”  
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about what happened and about how I handled your interview. I never got a chance to apologize.” Lexa says honestly as Clarke stares at her. “I just wanted you to know how sorry I am.”  
“You don't have to apologize Detective. You were doing your job. I should be the one apologizing for how I acted during that interview. I was angry, but not at you. You happened to be closest to me though, so you sort of took the brunt of that one. So yeah, I’m the one that’s sorry. And please, call me Clarke. Didn’t we establish this?” Clarke says with grin.  
“My apologies, Clarke, we did. But your apology isn’t necessary either. I may have been doing my job but I could have handled it better. Oh, and we’ve talked about this, the name’s Lexa.” she returns the grin.  
The two girls stand staring at one another for a few seconds longer until Clarke heard her name called. She excused herself to go grab her coffee and walked back over to Lexa.   
“So, Lexa,” the blonde says, using the girl’s first name, “This is probably completely unorthodox, but would you like to grab dinner sometime? Just as a thank you for all of the hard work you put into my case. I realized a few weeks ago that I never actually thanked you for catching…him” Clarke shook the image of Finn out of her head, “Anyway, I didn’t want to call you randomly so it’s actually kind of perfect that we ran into each other today."  
Clarke could see the wheels turning behind those vivid green eyes. She immediately regretted this awkward dinner invitation. Just as Clarke was about to tell Lexa not to worry about it, Lexa spoke.   
“That sounds great,” Lexa said, shocking Clarke, “Dinner sounds great.”  
“Really?!” Clarke says with more surprise than she meant to.  
Lexa laughed, “Yes, really, I could use a night out so my answer is yes. Did you say you still have my number? I’m free the next few weekends so just text me the details.”  
“I will,” Clarke smiles, “I’ll check my calendar when I get to work and let you know.”  
“I’m looking forward to it, Clarke.” Lexa says. Clarke feels that familiar tingle when she hears the girl speak her name again.  
The two girls say their goodbyes a few minutes later, Clarke needing to get to the galley and Lexa needing to meet Lincoln to do some interviews on a new case they are working. When Clarke arrives at work, she immediately checks her calendar. It was Thursday…would Saturday be too soon to ask Lexa to meet her for dinner? Should she wait a week? Clarke weighed her options but her hands were faster than her brain. She pulled out her cell a few seconds later.

Clarke 7:52am:   
“Hey Lexa, it’s Clarke. I wasn’t sure if you still had my number. Anyway, I’m free this Saturday if you wanted to grab dinner?”  
Lexa 9:00am:  
“Hi Clarke. Saturday sounds great.”  
Clarke 9:36am:   
“Great! How about we meet around 7:00 at that new restaurant downtown, Wanhedas?”  
Lexa 10:15am:  
“I’ll see you then!”

By the time Saturday rolls around, Clarke is happy it’s the weekend. The past two days had been unusually busy for her at the gallery. She woke up earlier than planned so she decided to go ahead and start her day. After having a bowl of cereal and brushing her teeth, she heads to the gym to get her workout in for the day. Getting back home a couple hours later, she jumps in the shower and decides to lounge around until she needs to get ready to meet Lexa. She can't deny that she is a little nervous about their dinner. Before their chance run in at The Ark, the last time they were in the same room, it didn’t exactly go well. Clarke dismisses the thought, not wanting to think of the case or Finn. After watching five episodes of Law and Order SVU, Clarke pulls herself off the couch and figures she needs to get ready. She has to meet in two hours and she’s never been to this new restaurant so she has no idea what to wear. After trying on a few outfits, she finally picks a pair of tight-fitting, ripped blue jeans, a black button down tucked into her jeans and a pair of black pumps. She adds some mousse to her hair, voting on wearing it curly for the night. She gives herself a once over in the mirror, decides she looks pretty damn good and leaves her apartment.

Clarke arrives at the restaurant a little before 7:00. She had gotten a text from Lexa saying she was running a little late so Clarke gives her name to the hostess and heads to the bar to order a drink while she waits. She finishes her drink, the vodka making her cheeks flush, and she spins around in her chair just in time to see Lexa walking towards her. Clarke’s breath catches in her throat. Lexa is wearing black jeggings, a white flowing tank top that shows off her arms and the black bra underneath, and black flats. She looks very different outside of work, Clarke thinks. Her wavy brown hair is all gathered on one side, falling loosely over her right shoulder. Clarke stands up to greet Lexa, deciding on a handshake.   
“Hi, Lexa. Did you have any trouble finding the place?”   
“Good evening, Clarke. No, it was easy enough to find. Sorry I’m late, I got stuck in traffic.”  
“No problem at all, I hope you don’t mind I started without you” Clarke rattle the ice in her empty glass.  
“Of course not. So have you been here before? I hear the food is wonderful!”  
“I haven’t actually, this is my first time too.” Clarke says.   
The two continue with small talk until Clarke hears her name called by the hostess. They follow her to a table for two that’s nestled amongst other tables in the busy dining room. They both take a seat and start looking over the menu. The waiter comes by a few minutes later to take their order; bringing Lexa a glass of water and Clarke orders another vodka cranberry.   
“So I hope this isn’t too awkward.” Clarke says after taking a sip of her fresh drink.  
“You know, if I’m being honest, I was worried it might be, but so far so good.” Lexa smiles in response.  
“Good. Like I said at the coffee shop, I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work and for solving my case. I was such a bitch to you at the police department and that was uncalled for.” Clarke explains, taking another gulp of her drink.   
“Please stop apologizing Clarke, there’s no need. It’s part of the job unfortunately. I get to be the bearer of bad news and sometimes even the punching bag. I’m used to it.” Lexa admits, as she plays with the straw in her water glass.   
“Well that makes me feel even worse!” Clarke sighs. “I didn’t mean to add to the shit you already have to deal with.”  
“Hey, I signed up for this. I love my job, every part of it. So don’t burden yourself.” Lexa smiles at the blonde, enjoying the profanity she is hearing.  
Their food arrives and conversation ceases while they both dig in.   
“So,” Clarke says a few minutes later, “how long have you been a detective?”   
“Well, I’ve been with the police department for three years, but was recently promoted to detective earlier this year.” Lexa replies proudly.  
“Wow! Well clearly you’re good at what you do. Is being a detective what you always wanted?” Clarke asks, finishing off her second drink.  
“Yes and no,” Lexa pauses to take a drink of water, “I always wanted to help people, so becoming a police officer was a no brainer. My dream was to go Federal one day, but then I was offered detective so I’m content where I am. What about you, has owning a gallery always been your dream?”  
Clarke flags down the waiter before answering, ordering another drink. “Yes. Well sort of. I have loved art ever since I could hold a brush. I was an Art History major in college and had this crazy idea that I would one day become the next van Gogh. But it turns out I’m not anywhere near that skill level. But people like my work, I’ve sold a lot of stuff at street fairs and festivals around here so I figured why not open a gallery? I get to do what I love and if people like it, well that’s just a plus.”  
“I disagree about your skill level, I’m quite familiar with your work and I think you’re very talented. Also, you’re way prettier than van Gogh.” Lexa blurts out before she can stop herself. She fidgets with her fork, silently chastising herself for the words.  
Clarke catches the compliment and blushes. Although her flushed cheeks might be more from the three drinks she’s had already. She laughs, “Well thank you for that. It’s funny, Finn wouldn’t even have gotten the reference. Now that I think about it, he only came to the gallery if I needed help hanging large pieces or making sure the lights were working properly before an exhibit opened. God, it’s all so obvious now. Why didn’t I see it sooner, how bad of a guy he was?” Clarke regrets bringing him up as soon as the words leave her lips. She is tired of thinking about him.  
Lexa searches Clarke’s face. She can see tears start to form in the corner of Clarke’s blue eyes. Lexa reaches out and puts her hand on top of Clarke’s trying to offer some comfort.   
“It’s ok, Clarke. What happened wasn’t your fault. You have to remember that. You were a victim in all this.”   
Clarke pulling her hand out from under Lexa’s to wipe the tears off of her cheeks, “Thanks. I know. Sorry to bring him up, I guess I’m still not over.”  
“It’s understandable and you don’t have to apologize.” Lexa reassures her. “And this might not be the most professional thing to say, but from my dealings with Mr. Collins, you’re better off without him.”  
Clarke smiles at the words from the brunette. “You’re probably the fifth person who has told me that since Finn was arrested. My two best friends remind me on a daily basis how great I should feel being rid of him and being single again. For me, I’m just happy he’s out of my life.” Clarke changes the subject, "So, speaking of the van Gogh reference, you know your artists huh?”  
Lexa laughs, “I surprisingly have some knowledge when it comes to art. My ex liked to paint as well so I’ve been exposed to it before. She would drag me to gallery opening after gallery opening and talk my ear off about the artists and about their work.”  
Clarke doesn’t miss the pronoun that Lexa uses, her eyes perk up. “She?” Clarke asks with a grin.  
“Yes” Lexa answers matter of factly. “Her name was Costia, we met in college and were together for a couple of years.” Clarke notices a glimmer of sadness that hits Lexa’s eyes.  
“So where is Costia now?”  
Lexa takes a minute for answering. She hasn’t thought about Costia in a very long time. “She passed away, car accident.”  
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry Lexa. I shouldn’t have pried.”  
“It’s ok Clarke. I dealt with the loss, handled my grief, and now my work is my passion.” Lexa was surprised at how stern sounded.  
When the waiter brings their checks, Clarke asks him for another drink. He brings it back to the table and she downs it quickly.  
“So you have a thing for artists huh?” Clarke asks as she stares into Lexa’s eyes. The vodka from that fourth drink still burning in her throat. She feels an air of confidence all of a sudden.  
Lexa isn’t sure how to respond. She stammers, “Uh, I- Well-..”  
“Sorry, that was inappropriate” Clarke slurs.  
“It’s fine” Lexa smiles, checking her watch then looking back at Clarke, who is still staring at her with somewhat glassy eyes.   
Clarke notices the movement and begins to stand up, “We should go, I’ve kept you here long enough Lexa.” As Lexa stands up, Clarke walks by her and stumbles, tripping over her feet. Lexa reaches out and catches her to keep her from hitting the floor. When Clarke straightens up, they are standing very close to one another. “Thanks,” Clarke whispers to Lexa. Lexa can feel a heat in cheeks at the single word spoken so close to her face. As they get outside, Lexa still has a hold to Clarke’s arm, not wanting to risk the blonde almost falling again. Clarke turns to her on the sidewalk and says “Thanks again for having dinner with me, you were wonderful company.”  
“I appreciate the invitation, I had a good time.” Lexa replies, letting go of Clarke’s arm. “Can i call you a cab?”  
“No, no, my car is parked just over there.” Clarke rambles through her purse looking for her keys.  
“There’s no way I’m letting you drive home, Clarke” Lexa says firmly, her law enforcement side coming out.   
“I’m fine.” Clarke says, finally finding her keys but subsequently dropping them a second later.  
“No way. Come on, give me your keys. I’ll drive you home.” Lexa grabs Clarke’s keys and follows Clarke to her Audi that’s sitting in the parking lot.   
The arrive at Clarke’s apartment a short time later. Clarke gets out of the car, Lexa on her heels to make sure she’s steady. Lexa sees that Clarke doesn’t live on the bottom floor so she grabs hold of Clark’s arm again as the ascend the stairs. Once they reach the landing, Clarke shows Lexa which key unlocks the apartment door. Lexa finally gets the lock open and opens Clarke’s apartment door. She helps Clarke inside and leads her to the sofa. Once Clarke sits down, Lexa stands up and looks around the apartment. She notices the pictures of Clarke and two girls on the end tables and also the picture of Clarke and an older woman on the entertainment center. Lexa smiles at the pictures, noting how happy Clarke looks. She also takes note of the two framed photographs on the wall. They are beautiful, Lexa did appreciate black and white photographs and how classic they look.   
“Thanks again for tonight and for bringing me home,” Clarke’s words bring Lexa back towards the sofa. “You didn’t have to do that.”  
“I kind of did, I can’t let you put yourself or others in danger if you get behind the wheel of a car after you’ve been drinking. It’s my job to serve and protect.” Clarke stands up and Lexa is taken aback when she finds herself wrapped in Clarke’s arms.  
“Really, thank you” Clarke whispers in Lexa’s ear, pressing their bodies together. Even though her head is cloudy with alcohol, Clarke inhales Lexa’s scent. It’s a great scent. She starts to rub her hands over Lexa’s back.  
Lexa slowly raises her arms to return the hug, not sure of how to proceed in this situation. Their bodies pressed together is almost too much. She lets out a breathy “You’re very welcome, Clarke.” The hug lasts longer than either girl intended. Lexa finally separates from Clarke, taking a cautionary step back, not trusting herself to be too close to the beautiful, drunk blonde. “I better get going, you need to get some rest. I’d say you’re about 80% alcohol at this point huh?” Lexa jokes.   
“Yes ma’am, I....wait hey! Don’t make fun! So what, I like my liquor. And with a gorgeous woman like you around to look out for me, I see nothing wrong with my beverage choices tonight.” Clarke hiccups and then laughs.   
Lexa blushes, “You’re funny, Clarke. And also very drunk. Now, promise me, you’ll go straight to bed. I’m going to call an Uber and get out of your way. Thanks for an interesting night”. Lexa gave Clarke a wide smile, green eyes flashing. She walks toward the door and turns around with her hand on the doorknob. She sees that Clarke is staring at her, smiling. Their eyes lock and Lexa’s feet feel like lead. She finally lifts her feet, heavy as they are, and opens the door to exit.   
“Goodnight, Clarke.”  
“Goodnight, Lexa.”

Lexa quickly walks down the stairs back towards the parking lot to wait for her Uber. She stops just by the curb. What just happened? Lexa takes a deep breath. She can still feel Clarke’s arms around her, still smell Clarke’s perfume. She likes the feeling, she likes the smell. She shouldn’t be liking either of those things. She lets the cold air into her lungs again and releases it; it helps in drawing her out of the memory she is lost in. She knows better than to let herself feel this way. She hear’s her sister Anya’s words in her ear. To be successful is to be alone. Her Uber finally arrives and she climbs into the car. She stares out the window, letting the passing streetlights distract her mind as she heads back towards her car.


	6. Chapter 6

Lexa arrives back at her car and settles in for the relatively short drive back to her apartment. Throughout the drive, she replayed the previous two hours of her night. She found herself laughing at the blonde’s not so graceful walk while being ushered up the stairs to her apartment door. Lexa reflected on the look in her eyes while she was drunkenly flirting with her. She saw curiosity behind the blue eyes but also desire. Was it the alcohol desiring Lexa or was it Clarke hidden behind the liquid courage? Those are the two questions that Lexa has tried not to get hung up on yet it was the only two that she kept asking herself as she exited her car and walked up to her own apartment. 

She walked in and found Anya nursing a bottle of Jack Daniels. Lexa sat down on the couch beside her sister. Deciding she needed to end her night with a drink, she stole the bottle from Anya’s hands which received one of the best go to hell looks imaginable. Lexa downed two gulps and relished in the burn she felt in her throat. Finally forgetting about the questions of the night. 

“Was your date that bad?” Anya asked while giving her younger sister a wink.   
“It was not a date, Anya. It was a simple thank you. Are these your big plans tonight?,” Lexa quickly replied and tried to change the subject but not before Anya caught the disappointment in Lexa’s voice.  
“But you wanted it to be right?” Anya asked sincerely while turning her head and eyeing her little sister..  
“I don’t know what to want, Anya. You’ve taught for two years to focus solely on work and now it seems like you are trying meddle in my personal life, so which is it?”   
“Look kid, I’ve watched you the past two years. I’ve watched you get over Costa’s death in the best way you know how, I’ve watched while you isolate yourself from anything resembling a relationship, and to be honest, I watched you get lonelier everyday.”  
“Watched? You mean you no long follow my every move and invade my personal space like it is your actual job?” Lexa quipped but was met with serious eyes from her sister.  
“Right, watched, as in past tense. You’ve been walking lighter, smiling more the past few weeks. Is it because of Clarke? I don’t know but all I know is that you need to open yourself up and you know, maybe get laid more. I mean, how long has it been, Lexi?”  
“Fuck you, don’t call me that!” Lexa yelled as she landed a blow to Anya’s left shoulder. Rubbing her shoulder, Anya looked at her, “Oh come on, it was funny and you know it!”  
“It was actually, I’ll give you ten points for that one,” Lexa dutifully replied, giving credit when it was due, “And thanks, An. I needed to hear that”

The two sisters sat for the next few hours watching re-runs of Saturday Night Live and laughing about anything and everything. When Lexa finally decided to go to bed, she involuntarily thought back on the question Anya had asked, “was it Clarke?” Lexa didn’t have a definitive answer to the question but she knew what she wanted it to be. Since meeting Clarke, she has been smiling more but for no apparent reason. It wasn’t like she saw the blonde or talked to her everyday. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she tries to fall asleep deciding that she wanted to pursue the blonde, in one way or another. 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Clarke woke up to the pounding in her own head after ten hours of drunken slumber. She quickly rummaged around her bed looking for her cell phone to check the time. It was past ten in the morning and she rarely slept past 8 no matter if it was the weekend or not. Noting she had 5 missed calls from Raven and Octavia collectively, she decided to get up and pull herself together before she called them back. When she got up, she heard pots and pans bashing together in her kitchen. She quickly got dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants she found lying on her bedroom floor. When she opened the door, she saw Raven working around in her kitchen, fixing what she thought was pancakes. 

Noticing Clarke, Raven quickly turned around, “Morning Sunshine, I figured you needed some food to soak up all the liquor seeping out of your pores. Seriously, Clarke brush your teeth. I can smell your stank breath all the way over here. That shit deserves a medal.” 

With that, Raven turned around and continued what she referred to as “cooking.” Clarke watched Raven as she cooked with a smile on her face, she loved when her friends invited themselves over to her apartment. And thats when it hit her. 

“Oh my god. I got drunk with Lexa. Fuck. No, let me rephrase, I got drunk. Lexa was perfect. Was she here? Is she still here?” Clarke asked while slightly panicking and trying to fix her hair. 

“No, princess. It’s just me. Sorry to so obviously disappoint you though,” Raven replied sarcastically while flipping a pancake and checking the bacon in the oven. 

“Oh, shut up. You know I’d always pick you first,” Clarke replied with a wink as she stole a bite of the finished pancakes laying beside the stove. 

“But seriously, how did last night go? So badly that you had to get drunk just to get through it?” Raven inquired. 

“No. Unfortunately, I was the only idiot last night. I was just so nervous and felt like a dick for being so mean to her when she was only trying to help me at the time.”

“You acted as any normal person would, Clarke. Stop being so hard on yourself.”

“Yeah, but she has always been so nice and polite and Raven, I think you would really really like her. She’s such a gentleman. Wait, can a woman be a gentleman? If we can, then she totally is. She just looks at you like she can see straight into your soul and she is just so…”

“Cl-Clarke, I will give you my firstborn if you stop talking. You just rambled for five minutes over a detective you barely know. Wait…” Raven stopped and looked at Clarke with the most mischievous smirk on her face, “Do you like this girl? Clarke, are you studying The L Word now?”

“Wow. Is that you trying to ask me if I’m gay? Well, no. I’m obviously not but I’m also not as straight as I once thought I was either but anyway…,” Clarke replied while trying to change the direction of the conversation, much to Raven’s disappointment. 

“You like her and I don’t think you even truly realized it until now. You are crushing and its adorkable” Raven says jokingly to no one but Clarke. 

Four pancakes and an infinite amount of bacon later, Clarke finally worked up the nerve to text Lexa and apologize for the night before. 

 

Clarke 11:21AM  
“Good morning, Lex. I just want to apologize for ruining our dinner. I was really nervous and felt badly about treating you the way I did. I really hope you’ll let me make it up to you. I am very glad that you were nice enough to make sure I made it home safely. I hope you have a great Sunday.”

Clarke 11:22AM  
“And I just realized I called you Lex. I’m sorry. I’m sure you hate when people shorten your nickname.”

Clarke 11:23AM  
“And I just realized that I assumed “Lexa” was your nickname. I promise I’m stopping now.” 

Not expecting a reply from the brunette, Clarke placed her phone on the counter and shifted her focus to Raven who was only now finished eating breakfast. A short time later, Clarke is surprised to see her phone light up, indicating that she received a text message.

Lexa 11:25AM  
“A talker in the morning, are we, Clarke? Its really no problem. I enjoyed your company, drunk or not. Don’t be a stranger and there is no need to apologize for your actions at the station anymore. You have been forgiven, though there was no need in the first place.” 

Lexa 11:26AM  
“And you assumed correctly. Lexa is my nickname, however, I haven’t warmed up to Lex yet :) Have a good day, Clarke.”

With a stupidly wide grin on her face, Clarke decided to end the conversation as she didn’t want to pester the brunette with her rambling and she couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be anymore rambles today. Octavia was due to arrive at her apartment at any time any way. With this in the back of her mind, she prepared herself for the hell she was going to get from her, along with Raven. Shortly later, she heard a knock at her door and to no surprise, it was Octavia. 

Opening the door, she is met with the brown eyed girl and a less than pleased look on her face, “Where the hell were you, Griffin? Clearly, you shouldn’t own a phone since you never answer it during times of need”

“I was asleep and I had my phone on silent. Back off, its too early for attacks and I’m hungover so your nagging is really not needed right now,” Clarke attempted to put her in her place but was cut off…

“Wait, hungover? Why? Was it that bad? Do you need me to kick her ass?” Octavia fired off the questions rapidly as if she were in a competition. 

Trying to calm the little fireball that was Octavia, Clarke stood up from where she had sat down and placed her hands on her shoulders, “O, seriously, it was me being an idiot. I was the one who caused us to have a horrible night and I’ve already apologized for it. Topic closed for discussion,” Clarke declared matter of factly and moved herself onto her couch. She settled in with both friends beside her, arguing on which show the three would binge watch today. 

Three hours into their binge watch of Scandal, Clarke gets up and desperately searches for something to eat. “Okay guys, if I don’t get some food, I’m going to eat both of you then I’ll really be dealing with Olivia Pope.”  
“Please, I could take you,” Octavia replied, rolling her eyes at her friend.   
“So could I, gimp leg or not. But I’m hungry too so let’s go get some coffee or something,” Raven pitched in shortly after.   
“Heyyyyy! That’s what you should ask your detective “friend” to do so you can apologize for ruining your apology dinner,” Octavia suggested, although, with an ulterior motive Clarke was almost sure of behind it.   
“Raven, thoughts?” Clarke inquired from her other friend.   
“Totally,” Raven replied too quickly. Clarke didn’t miss the smirk on her face or the playfulness in her eyes. 

Not five minutes later, Clarke whips out her phone and thumbs to find her message thread with Lexa. 

Clarke 3:23PM  
“Hello again, do you have plans tomorrow morning?”

Lexa 3:26PM  
“Hello stranger. Unfortunately, I have to be at work early in the morning. I’m free Tuesday morning but Clarke, you should know… I don’t like vodka before noon.” 

Clarke 3:28PM  
“Ha. I’ll never live this one down with you or my friends, huh? It’s ok, I can take it. Would you want to get coffee before we have to go to work Tuesday morning around 8? A peace offering at the Ark.” 

Lexa 3:30PM  
“That’s not necessary.”

Lexa 3:32PM  
“But I’m not one to turn down coffee, I’ll be there at 8AM. See you soon!”

Clarke 3:35PM  
“I’ll see you then, Lex ;)” 

 

Releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding, Clarke placed her phone on the counter and started emotionally preparing herself for her Tuesday morning coffee “date.” Clarke still couldn’t put her finger on exactly what she was feeling towards the brunette. Do I like her? No, I can’t. But still, Clarke couldn’t quite shake the brunette’s eyes from her head nor did she want to. She felt understood in Lexa’s presence, comfortable, safe, but nervous, on edge and the most strange of the feelings she felt was the butterflies whenever Lexa said her name or looked at her in a certain way. And after reading her text exchange with Lexa, she thought the brunette might be flirting with her as well. The feelings only intensified. Fuck. 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

Lexa was two miles into her routine weekend run when she received the text from Clarke asking if she wanted to get together the following day. Smiling, she typed out an almost immediate response but then realized she promised Lincoln that she would get to the office early and help him with a few cases that he had been struggling with the past few weeks. She realized Tuesday would work and quickly typed out a response she hoped the blonde would interpreted as the joke it was.

Plans were made and Tuesday morning came quicker than Lexa realized and she couldn’t help the nerves she was feeling in the pit of her stomach. Waking up earlier than normal, she stood in front of her closet debating on what she would wear to meet the blonde. Opting for something different than her usual work attire, she decided on a simple tight fitting black shirt and grey jeggings along with her favorite matching black converse. Since should would be going to work shortly after, she tucked her blazer into her bag but put on her badge and gun hoping Clarke wouldn’t find it intimidating. 

Leaving her apartment, Lexa was filled with nerves. Normally, calm and confident, this was unfamiliar territory for Lexa. She was never one for nerves, even with Costia. Brushing it off, she hopped into her Jeep and drove to the Ark. Getting out, she noticed Clarke’s Audi in the parking lot so she made her way inside. Opening the door, she scanned to see if Clarke was already seated or if she was in line. As her eyes fell on the line in front of her, a blonde woman turned around and green eyes met blue. She saw Clarke get out of line and make her way towards where Lexa was standing but Lexa was still entranced with those blue eyes that had never lost contact with her own. In that moment, she lost her breath and only regained it once she felt Clarke’s arms enclose her body into a hug and Lexa returned the sentiment. 

“I hope you’re a hugger because I am and well, its how I saw hello to friends,” Clarke explained while Lexa noticed a light shade of red creep up from Clarke’s neck to her cheeks. 

“I wasn’t but I think I could be now,” Lexa said while smiling and a beat later continued, “you shouldn’t have left the line, it is way too long this time of morning. Shall we?” Lexa asked while giving Clarke an encouraging hand in the direction of the coffee line. 

“I know but I didn’t want to awkwardly sit by myself at a table and wait for you to get your coffee.”  
“Ah, I see now. So, you’re one of those.”  
“I’m sorry?” Clarke looked confusedly towards the brunette that was positioned just to her left. She could have sworn she watched the brunette’s eye shift up from her body back to her eyes.   
“Those that can’t eat alone or enjoy a coffee alone.”   
“And what is wrong with that, Detective?” Clarke asked while angling her head to the side. 

She didn’t notice the flirtation in her voice until after it had left her lips. A small side crept onto her face when she noticed the brunette blushing and shaking her head as if to say something witty but was interrupted by a man clearing his throat and pointing towards the line in front of them. 

Not realizing the two were now holding the line, they made their way to the barista and placed their orders, Clarke refusing to allow Lexa to pay for her own. While Clarke was paying, Lexa took the time to appreciate Clarke’s outfit for a second time. Clarke was dressed casually in ripped designer skinny jeans and a blue long sleeve shirt that complimented her eyes. The outfit was paired with black booties, a matching scarf and a leather jacket that Lexa assumed had been taken off once she arrived inside the coffee shop. When her eyes landed back onto the blonde’s face, she was welcomed with a knowing look in the woman’s eyes. Lexa smiled and held Clarke’s gaze. The moment was interrupted when their names were called, announcing that their coffees were ready. Each woman picked up their own respective brews and turned to find an open table. 

The two made their way back to the table they sat at once before, each taking the side that was comfortable to them. Settling in, Clarke found it difficult to look at the brunette without staring. She was sure she had caught her checking her out but the brunette was so hard to read, she couldn’t be sure. 

Interrupting her thoughts, Lexa began the conversation, “So do you always get drunk while having dinner with a stranger, Clarke?”  
“You’re hardly a stranger but no, that was a first for me,” Clarke said with an ashamed look on her face.   
“Quite the entertainment, I’ll admit.”  
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve already gotten enough hell from my two best friends, I need you to drop it,” Clarke replied with a demand but by gauging Lexa’s laugh, she hadn't overstepped.   
“Your wish is my command, Miss Griffin,” Lexa complied which earned an eye roll from Clarke. 

The two continued to banter for the next 40 minutes until Clarke got a call from a potential buyer that she needed to meet at her gallery in less than 15 minutes. Looking up, she saw a look of panic on the brunette’s face but was quickly covered by an unreadable expression. 

Clarke cleared her throat, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize what time it was but I have to meet a buyer in a few minutes. As much as I’d like to sit here with you, I kind of need to make a living as well.”

Standing up, Lexa was quick to reply with a shrug in her shoulders, “I completely understand. Lincoln has already texted twice asking where I am.”

“Ah, I see. Well, it works out then.” Lexa was quick to pick up on the disappointment in Clarke’s voice. 

“It does. But hey, Clarke? Do you want to continue this?”

“Um, I thought you had to go to work? I mean, you can ride with me to the gallery if you think Detective James won’t get upset?” Clarke asked in confusion but not to secretly wanting Lexa to say yes and accompany her. 

Lexa laughed and Clarke is sure her heart is exploding, “No, I mean, would you like to go to dinner with me? That way you can experience my flirting without liquid courage.” 

Completely shocked by Lexa’s obvious flirting, Clarke blushed and replied with the biggest smile she had displayed in ages, “I’d love to but I can’t guarantee there won’t be drinking on my part. It’s part of my charm. Let me know the details.


	7. Chapter 7

Clarke arrives home from a long day at work around 7:00pm; completely exhausted. After coffee with Lexa that morning, she had met with a potential buyer, talked to the vendors what she was using for her next exhibit coming up next month and made a trip to the local arts supply store to pick up a few things she needed at the gallery and a few things she needed for herself. She falls heavy onto the sofa without even taking off her shoes, and lets out a deep breath. She just wants to sit still for a few minutes after such a long day. She grabs the remote control and switches on the television. She flips through a few channels and finally tosses the remote to the other end of the sofa when she decides on an old episode of Friends. She grabs her cell phone out of her pocket and scrolls through the text messages she missed while she had been working. She has a few from Raven and Octavia, mostly asking how her coffee date went earlier that morning. She shoots back a generic response to each of the girls, deciding she will fill them in later. After she watched Rachel get off the plane and the episode ended, Clarke gets up from the sofa and heads to the kitchen to find some dinner. Realizing she’s more tired than hungry, she opts for a quick slice of leftover pizza she finds in the refrigerator and makes her way to her bedroom. 

A quick shower later, she is lying in bed trying to fall asleep. Her mind has been busy all day. When she wasn’t actually busy working, her thoughts were clouded with memories from time spent with Lexa over the past week. She kept hearing the girl’s laugh, seeing her smile, and replaying the ever so subtle flirtatious comments that she was sure she was interpreting correctly. The last thing she wants to do is overanalyze what it all means. This was new territory for her, not that she was opposed to it, because actually she was feeling quite the opposite. It was obvious to her that she felt something when she was with Lexa. It was also obvious to her that she wanted to spend more time with Lexa. That’s partly why she was so eager to agree to another dinner with the brunette. Clarke’s eyes became heavier with each scene she replayed from their dinner, their short time together right out in her living room and then from coffee earlier that morning. She drifted off to sleep without any trouble. 

The next day is uneventful for Clarke, she gets out of the gallery earlier than expected so she drives over the Raven and Octavia’s place to see what their plans are for the evening. When she arrives, she lets herself in to their apartment and find the two girls 3 games deep into a Wii tennis match. 

“What’s up, Clarke! You’re off work early!” Raven says without taking her eyes off the television screen.   
“Yeah, it was a quiet day today so I didn’t hang around. What are you guys doing tonight?” Clarke asked, watching the girls jump and dive all around the living room.  
“We hadn’t talked about it,” Octavia yells, out of breath, “Raven was talking smack earlier so we’ve been at this for a while now. Check the score, I had to shut her up.”  
“Oh please, I’m letting you win, O. And also, my leg is kind of hurting today.” Raven exclaims.   
“Convenient”, Octavia taunts her with a grin, “but okay, okay, it’s match point so let me score and we can call game.”  
“I’ll just be over here while you guys finish.” Clarke says, wandering towards the kitchen. 

Clarke is leaning against the kitchen counter checking her phone when her two friends walk into the kitchen a short while later. 

“Talking to anyone we might know?” Raven teases.  
“Actually no, I’m just catching up on some news.” Clarke locks her phone and places it on the kitchen counter.   
“Speaking of, you gave us some crap answer about your coffee date yesterday. We are glad it was ‘good’ but tell us what really happened!” Octavia says as she hops up on the counter to sit.   
“Yeah, we live for the details, Grif.” Raven echoes Octavia’s request.  
“Well it was good, great actually.” Clarke explains with a smile, "It’s so nice being around her. She made some jokes at my expense about dinner the other night, which I’m used to thanks to you Raven, and we just talked. She actually asked me out to dinner. I agreed. That’s not crazy right? To go to dinner with her again?” Clarke asks.   
“That’s not crazy at all.” Octavia answers first. “But Clarke I have to ask, what is all this? I mean, this will be the third time you two have gone out together and you can’t stop smiling when talk about her. Do you want this to go somewhere? Does she?”  
“Whoa, O, pump the brakes. It’s just dinner. It’s too soon to be labeling things and trying to define things. All I know is that I enjoy being around her, she makes me laugh, she makes me smile, and she’s not bad on the eyes either.” Clarke responds with a smirk.   
“I just haven’t heard you talk this way about a girl is all. And don’t misunderstand that, I think it’s awesome! I was just being nosey, you know you have our full support. We just ask that you simply tell us all the intimate details when you inevitably charm her pants off.” Octavia says with a wide grin.  
“YES! Agreed!” Raven says with a nod.  
Clarke laughs, “I can definitely do that.” Her phone chimes interrupting their talk.   
“Speaking of the Detective.” Raven says as she sees Lexa’s name come across Clarke’s screen, alerting her to a new test message.

Lexa 6:03PM:  
“Hey Clarke. Hope I’m not interrupting dinner. I just wanted to confirm dinner plans.”

Clarke 6:04PM:  
“Hey! Okay, let’s confirm. And you’re not interrupting. :) ”

Lexa 6:05PM:  
“Well, I’m free on Saturday and my sister was telling me about a restaurant down by the water that I should try. Would you like to meet me there around 6:30?”

Clarke 6:06PM:  
“Saturday night sounds perfect, Lex. Just send me the address to the restaurant and I’ll meet you there.”

Lexa 6:07PM:   
“Still sticking with ‘Lex’, are we? Alright, I’ll get you all the details soon. I’m looking forward to our date.”

Clarke 6:08PM:  
“HA! ‘Lex’ is here to stay, get used to it. ;) See you Saturday!”

Date. She reread the message. Yeah, that says date. Like a real date. A tiny bit of panic rose up through Clarke as she let the word sink in. She dismisses it just as quickly as it came.

“Look at that damn grin! I am loving this!” Raven says, laughing at her friend.  
“Did she just send you a naked selfie? That’s a naked selfie grin if I’ve ever seen one.” Octavia joining in with Raven’s laughter.  
“Shut up you jerks!” Clarke rolls her eyes at her friends, "There are no naked selfies being sent to anyone. We are going to some restaurant she heard about. I’m meeting her Saturday night. She called it a date.”  
“FINALLY! It’s about time you have a real date with someone.” Raven practically fist pumps.  
“I cannot wait to hear all about it!” Octavia matches her enthusiasm.

Clarke shakes her head, laughing at her friends. Raven and Octavia head back into the living room, leaving Clarke in the kitchen. She is surprised by the butterflies she feels just thinking about an actual date with Lexa. She smiles at the thought. Is it Saturday yet?

————————————————————

When Saturday finally rolls around, Clarke wakes up with a nervous feeling in her stomach. Not just because she hadn’t yet received a follow up text from Lexa with the address of where she was supposed to meet the brunette, but also because she was having a real date, tonight, with a girl. She had spent the past two days thinking about everything from what outfit she should wear, what perfume she should choose, how she should wear her hair, what she might order at this restaurant.. Her mind was going 100 miles per hour. After breakfast, Clarke decides to do a little cleaning to work off some of her nervous energy. Just as she is grabbing the broom from the closest, her phone chimes.

Lexa 9:45AM:  
“Good morning, Clarke. I hope this doesn’t wake you.”

Clarke 9:47AM:  
“Hey you! Nope, I’ve been awake. Currently cleaning my apartment :( “

Lexa 9:51AM:  
“I certainly hope you’re planning on showering before I see you later? ;) “

Clarke 9:53AM:  
“You’re funny early in the morning! I’m actually glad you texted, did you forget you hadn’t sent me the address of the restaurant?”

Lexa 9:55AM:  
“I’m quite funny all hours of the day, Clarke. I apologize for not sending the address, work was a bit hectic the past few days. Here’s what you need: 'The Crab Pot 1301 Alaskan Way’”

Clarke 10:00AM:  
“I know exactly where that is. :) I will meet you there at 6:30.”

Lexa 10:02AM:  
“I can’t wait!”

 

Clarke tosses her phone on the sofa, checks her watch and decides she can finish cleaning before she has to actually make efforts to get ready. Once she has swept the kitchen and bathroom, Clarke washes a few dishes that have piled up in the sink and the decides that’s enough manual labor for one day. She checks her watch again and figures she might as well start the getting ready process. After her shower, Clarke gets dressed with her hair still wrapped in a towel. After finally picking an outfit, Clarke lets her hair down, blow dries it, and votes to straighten it for tonight. An hour later, her hair is straight and she braids a few sections so they hang down on the right side of her head. She walks over to the the full length mirror and checks her reflection. Knowing the restaurant they were going to, Clarke had picked a more casual outfit. Her black and red plaid button up shirt hung just past the waistband of her tiny blue jeans shorts, and her all white Chuck Taylors make her legs look deceptively tan. She gives herself a smile in the mirror and leaves her bedroom. She sees her alarm clock showing 5:45PM, so she goes into the living room, wanting to make sure she had everything together before she leaves to meet Lexa. As she’s packing up her purse, her phone begins to ring. She almost ignores it, thinking it’s Raven or Octavia wanting to ask last minute questions about her plans, but when she checks the caller ID and sees Lexa’s name she quickly answers:

“Hello?” Clarke answers.  
“Hi, Clarke. What are you up to?” Lexa asks.  
“Um, well, I was actually about to leave to come and meet you. It is Saturday right?” Clarke jokes.  
“it is Saturday, but I’m afraid I have some bad news. I can’t meet you for dinner. I’m sorry, but plans have changed a bit.” Clarke frowns, thankful Lexa can’t see her.   
“Oh, okay. I understand. Is everything okay?” Clarke asks, trying not to sound as disappointed as she feels.  
“Everything is great.” Lexa answers but picks up on the disappointment she hears the other end of the line, "Oh gosh, Clarke. I’m not canceling. I just can’t meet you for dinner.”  
“I’m sorry, Lexa, I don’t follow?” Clarke is so confused by their current dialogue.   
“Open your door, Clarke.” Lexa says confidently.  
“What do you m- “ Clarke begins to ask as she unlocks the door and pulls it open; her eyes landing on Lexa standing in front of her.  
“You can hang up now, Clarke.” Lexa grins as she sees the shock on Clarke’s face, they are staring at one another. 

It takes a minute for Clarke to register what is happening. She takes her phone away from her ear and she looks at Lexa, taking in the sight of her from head to toe. She's wearing very well fitted dark jeans, an emerald green tank top that hangs loosely and a pair of Toms. Her brown hair is draped across one shoulder, the same as it was when they had their first dinner. Clarke also notices the heavier eyeliner that the brunette is wearing tonight, making her green eyes pop. The butterflies are back in Clarke’s stomach. She smiles at the sight.. 

“Wow.” the blonde says before she can stop herself. She feels her cheeks go hot.  
Lexa smiles wide, “Wow yourself. I hope you don’t mind the change in plans, but there was no way I was letting you drive yourself on our date.”  
“How thoughtful of you. You definitely get points for this,” Clarke says as she regains some of her composure.  
“The first of many points I’ll get tonight, hopefully.” Lexa smirks as she winks at Clarke. “So, are you ready to go?”  
“I am, just let me grab my bag.” Clarke retreats further into her apartment to grab her purse and keys. She walks back toward the door where Lexa is waiting, still standing in the hallway. “Ok. Ready!”   
“After you!” Lexa holds her arm out, directing Clarke to head down the stairs in front of her. 

 

The drive to Pier 57 from Clarke’s apartment went by more quickly than either girl anticipated. They fell into easy conversation with one another, Lexa asking Clarke about her day and Clarke asking Lexa about how work was going. Any lull in the conversation found Clarke looking out the window of Lexa’s Jeep, watching the city rush by. More than once, Clarke catches Lexa’s green eyes on her as they drive and she welcomes the warm feeling she gets in her stomach as a result. Once they arrive at the Pier, Lexa finds a parking spot and shuts off the engine. 

“Don’t move.” Lexa throws Clarke a smile. She climbs out of the driver’s seat and rushes around the back of the SUV. Taking a deep breath, she opens the passenger door for the blonde.   
“Thank you.” Clarke says as they lock eyes, each girl dipping her head just as quickly.  
“Of course, Miss Griffin.” Lexa replies, shutting the door once Clarke has gotten out. As the two girls stand side by side, they both look across the street at the Pier.   
“So, shall we?” Lexa asks.  
“Lead the way, Lex.” Clarke says, causing Lexa to release a rasp of a laugh as she shakes her head. 

Pier 57 is buzzing. There are people coming and going to the various shops on the pier and others having dinner at one of the several restaurants settled amongst the shops. Even more people are waiting for their turn to ride the Seattle Great Wheel. As Clarke and Lexa make their way through the crowd towards The Crab Pot, Lexa notices that Clarke cannot take her eyes off of the ferris wheel. Lexa smiles ever so slightly, feeling confident about her plans for the rest of the evening.

“This is it,” Lexa breaks the silence as they approach the restaurant. "This is the place my sister was telling me about.”   
“Great! I’m starved.” Clarke replies as she walks through the door that Lexa is holding open for her. They are seated within a few minutes of waiting and they begin to browse the menu. The waiter comes over to their table, welcoming them and asking for their drink order.   
“I’ll have one of these Blue Lagoon drinks!” Clarke says excitedly, pointing out the drink on the menu.  
“And I’d like a Corona, please.” Lexa says politely. The waiter leaves a second later, leaving the two alone.  
“Detective Woods, did you just order a beer?!” Clarke feigns surprise.   
“Damn it, is ‘Corona’ not Spanish for 'Coke'?” Lexa frantically checks the menu, trying to hide the smile on her face.   
“HA HA,” Clarke says, chuckling at the brunette. “I’m just surprised is all, I haven’t seen you drink anything except coffee and water.”  
“I’m full of surprises, Clarke.” Lexa says, with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

The waiter returns with their drinks a short time later, Clarke’s eyes lighting up when she sees the creation in front of her. Lexa notices that the drink is electric blue, almost matching the blue eyes sitting across from her. Lexa lets herself stare at the beautiful blonde, not able to control the smile that spreads across her face. After ordering their meals, the two girls began to chat just as easily as they had on the car ride over. The alcohol only helping with the easy conversation. Once their food arrives, they continue to talk in between bites until they finally put their utensils down and look at one another.

“That was delicious!” Clarke says, drinking down the last pic of her mixed drink.  
“It was! I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Lexa says with a smile, “I’ll have to tell Anya how much we liked it.”  
“Definitely tell her I said thanks for the recommendation.”  
“I’ll be sure to,” Lexa replies as the waiter places the check on the table. Lexa grabs it before Clarke has a chance to. After paying for dinner, the two leave the restaurant, walking further down along the pier.   
“Thank you for dinner, Lexa” Clarke says as they pass by a gift shop with “Welcome to Seattle” merchandise in the window.   
“No need to thank me, I’m just happy you accepted my invitation to come out tonight.” Lexa says honestly.  
“Absolutely, I didn’t give it a second thought.” the smile on Clarke’s face giving Lexa another ounce of confidence.   
“So, can I interest you in a ride?” Lexa asks, nodding towards the giant wheel at the end of the pier.  
“I thought you’d never ask.” Clarke says, eyes wide as she looks at Lexa.

The two make their way towards the ferris wheel; Lexa purchases tickets for each of them and they move to get in line. Lexa notices Clarke staring up at the lights of the ferris wheel as it makes its rotations. The brunette gets lost in the sight. The light of the ferris wheel reflected in Clarke’s eyes makes them even more beautiful than they are already are. She is so distracted by the blonde, she doesn’t even hear the question.

“Sorry, what?” Lexa comes back to the moment, slightly embarrassed that Clarke caught her staring.  
“I said, have you ever ridden this ferris wheel before?” Clarke asks, grinning at Lexa.  
“Actually no, I haven’t. But when I took you home after dinner the other night, I noticed that you have a framed picture of it in your living room. So, I took a chance and used my superior detective skills to decide that this is something you’d like to do. Judging by your smile, I’m going to give myself another point.” Lexa lets out a loud breath, flipping her brown her over her shoulder dramatically, basking in the moment.   
“Confident are we?” Clarke raises an eyebrow, "But you are correct, I do love this ferris wheel! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by your perceptiveness though, given what you do for a living.”  
“Hey, don’t take away from my moment!” Lexa gives Clarke a playful tap on the arm.  
Clarke laughs, “You know, I like you after you’ve had a beer, Lex.”  
“Wait, only after I’ve had a beer?? Well, you clearly haven’t been paying attention.” Lexa frowns, poking her bottom lip out. Clarke’s eyes immediately fall on Lexa’s full bottom lip. She bites her own bottom lip, involuntarily.   
Clarke is brought back to the moment when the gate in front of them opens, signaling that it’s time for their ride. They end up in a pod by themselves, Lexa choosing to sit as Clarke walks around the pod as they being their ascent to top. As they get farther from the ground, Clarke feels her confidence rising as well.   
“Hey, come stand with me?” Clarke motions for Lexa to join her at the rail by the window. Lexa stands and makes her way to Clarke’s side. She places her hands on the rail and doesn’t notice that their pinkies are touching until she feels a flutter in her stomach. She doesn’t dare move and she is relieved that Clarke makes no effort to move her hand either. They stand together in silence, watching the lights of the city get smaller and smaller.   
“So, can I ask why you love ferris wheels so much?” Lexa breaks the silence.  
“What’s not to like?” Clarke answers, still looking out at the illuminated skyline below them. She continues, “It’s beautiful up here, with the city glowing down there. I feel big and small all at the same time. Does that make any sense? Gosh, I must sound totally lame.”  
“Not at all,” Lexa says quickly, “That makes perfect sense. And from where I’m standing, I have to agree, it is very beautiful up here.”   
Clarke turns her head to look at Lexa and finds the brunette’s green eyes locked on hers, not on the city in front of them. She blushes at the compliment and moves her right pinky finger ever so slightly so it moves against Lexa’s left pinky finger. Lexa’s eyes dart from the blue depths of Clarke’s eyes to her lips and back again. The air becomes thick between the two girls and Lexa swears she feels Clarke closing the space between them but she doesn’t dare move for fear that she is imagining the movement. The moment is suddenly broken when the ferris wheel comes to an unexpected halt, causing the girls to break their gaze to see what has caused the stop. Realizing they are most likely only stopped momentarily to let new passengers on, Lexa takes a seat while they wait.   
“Tell me this, how is it that you live here in Seattle and you’ve never once been on this thing?” Clarke asks, cutting through the silence as she leans against the rail by the pod’s window.  
“Honestly, ever since Costia, I mostly spend my time with my sister and she is a total wimp when it comes to heights, so I’ve just never had anyone to come here with.” Lexa answers, noticing the tiny wrinkle that appears between Clarke’s eyebrows at the mention of Costia’s name. Why would you mention her? Lexa thought to herself.   
“I see,” Clarke nods, moving away from the rail and walking towards Lexa, “It’s a good thing you’ve got me then.” Lexa meets Clarke’s gaze as the blonde smiles and sits down beside her. Lexa inhales sharply as she feels the blonde’s thigh pressed against hers; bringing with it the flutter in her stomach that is becoming more familiar to her.   
“I am quite lucky, aren’t I?” Lexa says boldly, as she lets her head dip, before meeting Clarke’s eyes again. “How often do you come here, Clarke?” Lexa notices immediately that Clarke begins to tear up at the question. The ferris wheel begins to move.   
“I haven’t been here in a very long time, actually. My dad used to bring me here when I was younger. When I told my parents that I wanted to be an artist, my dad surprised me with a very basic art set one year for my birthday. I was over the moon when I got that gift and I insisted that we come here so I could draw this ferris wheel. It sort of became tradition after that. Every year for my birthday, we would come here, ride this ferris wheel and just walk around and talk.” Lexa watches the emotions wash over Clarke’s face, going from happy to sad and back again. Lexa treads carefully with her next question, not wanting to upset Clarke.  
“So why don’t you guys do that anymore? I mean, why has it been so long since you’ve been back here?” Lexa asks.  
“My dad passed away about 10 years ago. He got sick and...” Clarke trails off and Lexa does not want to press the issue. Part of her regrets planning this part of the date. She places her left hand on Clarke’s back and rubs up and down for a few seconds just as fresh tears fall down Clarke’s cheek. Lexa fights the urge to wipe away the tears. Way to go, Lexa, way to ruin the night. Lexa could kick herself.  
“I’m so sorry, Clarke. Had I known, I never would have suggested we come here, that we ride the ferris wheel.” Lexa says apologetically.  
“It’s fine, Lexa, you didn’t do anything wrong. I just haven’t talked about him a while so it hit me a little harder. I’m sorry for the waterworks.” Clarke wipes her eyes.   
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Lexa says firmly.

It takes a very short time for them to make it back to the ground. When the doors open, Lexa allows Clarke to exit first. Once they are both off of the platform beside the ferris wheel, they fall in step walking back down the pier. Clarke’s breath catches in her throat as she feels Lexa’s fingers slide through and intertwine with her own. Clarke looks down at their hands, joined together between them and then looks up at Lexa.  
“Is this okay?” Lexa asks timidly  
“It’s perfect.” Clarke responds, as she rubs her thumb back and forth against Lexa’s. 

The two walk hand in hand back down the pier towards the parking lot where Lexa’s Jeep sits. As they approach the Jeep, Lexa reluctantly releases Clarke’s hand, but only so she can open the door for the blonde. Clarke smiles and gives her a ‘thank you’ and climbs into the passenger seat. Once Lexa gets into the driver’s seat and puts on her seatbelt, she starts the Jeep. She is just pulling out onto the roadway when she feels Clarke’s hand rest on her right thigh. She looks down to make sure she’s not dreaming and then look’s over at Clarke who is staring right back at her.   
“Is this okay?” Clarke asks.   
“It’s perfect.” Lexa responds, as she places her hand on top of Clarke’s, their fingers intertwining one again.

The drive back to Clarke’s apartment is over way to quickly as far as they are concerned. Once Lexa parks the Jeep and exits the vehicle, she again opens the door for Clarke so she can step out. The two join hands immediately, neither bothering to second guess their choice. When they reach the landing right outside Clarke’s apartment door, Lexa breaks the silence.  
“I had a really great time tonight, Clarke.”  
“I did too,” Clarke smiles, “You were right, experiencing your flirting without all that alcohol only adds to your appeal.” The grin that spreads across Clarke’s lips causes Lexa’s cheeks to flush.  
“When can I see you again?” Lexa asks, hopeful.  
“Whenever you’d like.” Clarke hesitates for a second before continuing, “I mean, the night doesn’t have to be over yet. Would you like to come inside?”  
Lexa surprises herself by not blurting out the “YES” that is dancing on the tip of her tongue. “I think I better go. But I promise I will call you. I already want to ask you out again. Next time though, I won’t bring the mood down with my questions.” Lexa frowns slightly, still hating herself for bringing up Clarke’s dad.  
“You did nothing of the sort, Lexa. It felt good to talk about him to someone else.” Clarke again rubs her thumb against Lexa’s, their hands still joined together.

With that, Lexa takes a small step towards Clarke. She stares deep into the blue eyes that are only inches in front of her own. As she moves closer, Lexa tilts her head slightly to the right as her lips press against Clarke’s cheek. The kiss is soft, quick. Lexa pulls away as slowly as she moved in. She takes a small step backwards, gives Clarke’s hand a final squeeze and smiles as she sees the grin on Clarke’s face.

“Goodnight, Clarke.”  
“Goodnight, Lexa.”


End file.
